Recovery
by sym64
Summary: Steve and Danny went to investigate down at the harbor and a few hours later they are still not back at HQ. One thing's for sure it's never boring with Steve around, he can get you into trouble faster than you can even blink. Action/Romance/Catherine/ / This story was written without the help of my two great beta readers, so be aware of grammar mistakes.
1. Chapter 1 Open Water

**Recovery**

**Disclaimer:** Nope still not mine.

**Rating:** T

**A big thank you to Kristi who is taking a look at my grammar for me. All remaining mistakes are still mine.**

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> This story is set 16 weeks after the events of ‚Search and Rescue'. Well sort of.

Steve and Danny are in trouble. They went to investigate down at the harbor and a few hours later they are still not back at HQ. As Danny said 'I just knew something like this would happen with you being back!' One thing's for sure it's never boring with Steve around, he can get you into trouble faster than you can even blink.

Find out how Steve and Danny are going to manage in their predicament, while you learn all about the weeks that led to 'that' situation.

Meet again with Catherine, JoJo, Dr. Hope and meet the new ally Dr. Zane. They are all back to fight again to get Steve back on his feet.

And learn what happened to all the baddies: Vitali, his crazy daughter and of course Jefferson who has some score to settle.

You wondered what happened to the most hated guy of SAR, 'Captain Dr. Alex Neill'?

All those burning questions will be answered here.

Just some little advice: if you haven't read 'Search and Rescue' I urge you to do that first or this story won't make much sense.

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><p><em><strong>Now let's start with the story. I hope you will enjoy it and please let me know what you think.<strong>_

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><p><strong>RECOVERY<strong>

**Chapter 1 - Open water**

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Danny! DANNY! Calm down," Steve is now shouting at his friend who seems to be just seconds from total panic mode.

"How the hell can I calm down? This is just," the rest of his sentence is lost in spluttering and coughing while he is wildly throwing his arms in every direction.

Time for Steve to intervene if he doesn't want to watch his friend drown in his panic. He just ducks Danny under water, turns him and has him in a secure hold in less than a second. "Danny it's all right, calm down. You're fine, everything is okay, just relax," all the while he keeps his friend as high out of the water as possible. "Good come on you can do it, just stop moving for a minute and try to get your breathing under control. Can you do that for me? Danny come on I need you, we need to do this together."

It takes almost a minute for Danny to finally calm down; all the while Steve is trying his best to keep him high out of the water. Not an easy task with probably badly bruised ribs, cuts and bruises everywhere and his vision is also kind of blurring. But he will not let go before Danny is able to swim for himself. Steve is not sure if Danny is just under shock from being blasted into the ocean, or if he is seriously injured or if he just really hates the water. He hopes for the latter but thinks it's a combination of all three elements.

"You okay now, can I let go?"

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go Steven."

Steve loosens his grip on him and Danny immediately brings an arm's length distance between them. He gets his first real look at his friend and can see now that the left side of his face is swollen and that he has a big bruise right over his left temple. He is not sure but if memory serves him right, he saw Danny hitting the railing before he went overboard. "How is your head, you feel all right?" Danny is just looking back at him but says nothing, "Danny?"

"You ask me about my head? Do you know that you have a huge cut above your eye and your forehead is one big bruise," Danny is now swimming closer to inspect his friend a bit better.

"Yeah guess I banged my head a bit," Steve is now grinning, because it seems that Danny is OK after all. Adrenaline is fading now and so is his vision a little more.

"A bit? You're kidding right? WE were in an explosion. Explosion Steven, a big BOOM. Maybe you don't remember, but I do, it was hot. And I mean that literally. It was hot, I thought I'd get barbecued. Hey! What the. . .," Danny just grabs his friend who just zoned out on him and dips under the water a little.

Steve feels himself being turned on his back and just floats for a few seconds, securely held by Danny who is just returning the favor from a few minutes ago. "Steve you okay?"

"Yeah I'm good, can you hold on a bit longer, give me a minute?"

"Sure."

Steve doesn't really need that minute, but it's not just for him but mostly for the benefit of Danny who needs to see that he can handle being in the ocean and being in control of the situation. Steve has the suspicion that Danny knows what he is doing, but if it works who cares? While he is floating he becomes aware of all the aches of his body and maybe he needs this minute after all. His ribs are hurting, but he is sure nothing is broken, his right ankle and knee are hurting, but he can bend them just fine. He can feel a lot of different bruises all over his body but all things considered he seems fine. After a couple minutes he starts to swim on his own again and turns back to Danny, who seems to be really calm now.

"Thanks," they actually say in unison.

"You hurt," Danny is the first to ask.

"Not really, just bruises I think. You?"

"Same here, head hurts like a bitch."

"Danny did you get rid of your shoes?"

"What?"

"Your shoes kick them off if you still have them on, but leave your clothes on."

"Shouldn't I get rid of my pants or something?"

"No it's better to leave them on, it's warmer that way, only heavy clothes should come off. Like your shoes. Listen can you open the laces on my boots, I can't bent down. Don't let go of the boots."

"What you want to keep them? I buy you new ones," but he is opening the laces anyway when Steve gets his feet up and hangs on to the first boot.

"No we need the laces, we're knotting them together and get a three yard line. One end we tie to your belt and one end to mine. That way we won't get separated."

"Good idea, you learn that at SEAL-school?"

Steve only looks at him and shakes his head. They are bind together in no time and are bobbing on the gentle waves.

"So my fearless leader you want to tell me again why it was such a great idea to take a look onto that boat?"

"Well we did find our weapons dealer, didn't we?"

"Yeah only that they found us first."

"And whose fault was that, Mister Sneeze?"

"That was just bad luck."

"Right."

"Okay, I might have a hand in us getting caught. But it's still your fault that we are now fish food."

"Danny we are not fish food. We will be fine. But if it makes you happy then okay it's my fault. Happy now?"

"Yes thank you. Very happy. So what do we do now, swim to shore?"

"No you'll never make it, it's too far. I won't even make it. Not in our condition. We just stay afloat and wait."

"Wait? Wait for what, the next hungry big fish?"

"Danny there are no sharks. . ."

"Don't say that word. You will just jinx it."

"Okay fine, there are no big hungry fish here. Don't worry," Steve is not so sure about that, but Danny doesn't need to know that.

"You know I just knew something like that would happen with you back at work full time. I just knew it."

"Oh you prefer me to stay away and only be able to work at HQ like when I was on that damn drug that I had to inject every five-fucking-hours, don't you? Is that it? I bet you thought it was really nice and quiet with me not out in the field. Oh yeah and while I was a druggie I was so easy to handle, tired all the time, not much interfering with your work. Coming in late, leaving early for PT. That must have been really nice. Almost heavenly."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"That doesn't sound like nothing Steve. What is going on?"

"Nothing, just drop it."

"No something is bothering you and since we're in middle of the freaking ocean tied to each other and with nothing else to do, just tell me."

"No."

"Just fucking tell me Steven. What the hell do you mean? Do you think I liked seeing my friend slowly going mad behind a desk? Do you think it was easy for me to know that you injected those meds all the time? Or knowing what the alternative would be. You being in unbearable pain? So please tell me Steve."

Steve knows that he should just tell him, but he is carrying this with him for over three weeks now, and it was just never the right time to talk about it. And he is not sure that this is the right time for it. But of course Danny is right, they can hardly avoid each other, with being tied to one another and all. Might as well come clean, "You tell me."

"What?"

"I heard you talking to Rachel."

"I talk to Rachel all the time, what do you mean?"

"It was about three weeks ago when we had that delegation from the Governor's Office there and I couldn't inject in my office like I usually did so I went to the restroom. You came in a minute later talking on the phone. I couldn't leave, I was too dizzy."

Steve is watching his friend and can see his horror when he remembers the phone call.

"Shit. Steve that was not how it sounded. I did not mean it like that."

"Really? Well it sure sounded like it. Just let's not talk about it, okay."

"No it's not okay. Why didn't you say anything, you are running around thinking that for three weeks? Oh damn it Steve, why?"

Steve is just looking at Danny and thinks back to the time that led to that day.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (81 _days after the crash)_**

There is that annoying beeping sound that wakes Cath up. With a groan she turns and is looking at the clock on the nightstand, the time on it elicit an even loader groan, four a. m. The beeping is still going on but is now even more muffled than before. It takes her a few seconds to realize that the sound is coming from Steve's watch on his wrist, the one that is beeping every five hours to indicate that it is time for a new injection. His arm with the annoyingly beeping watch is buried under his body and Steve is making no move that would indicate that he is even remotely hearing the alarm. Which Cath finds more than a little odd, since he is a very light sleeper. But instead of waking him up she just makes her way out of bed and down to the kitchen to get one of his syringes. When she comes back up he is lying on his back still fast asleep but at least the alarm is off.

"Steve? Come on wake up, time for your meds."

"Hmmmm, go 'way," is not the response she is hoping for, but at least he is opening his eyes somewhat and looks at her rather sleepily. She is not waiting for him to come fully awake but just injects his meds into his upper belly. That does wake him up.

"Shit, argh he was lying, you know," Steve is curling in on his side and squeezes his eyes shut.

"Who lied Steve?"

"Hope. It never hurt any less. 97 more injections and I'm done."

"Yeah just three more weeks and we can finally sleep through the night. I mean you almost did tonight, what's the matter didn't you hear the alarm?"

"No, guess you tired me out," he is now pulling at her arm since she is still standing next to the bed. She falls with a little shriek on to the bed right next to him, "But I'm awake now; think we should take advantage of that?"

"Oh you up for that," she is now half lying on him and can feel that he is definitely up for it.

Last night was the first night that they were actually able to make love and finish it. It took Steve over two month of cuddling and gentle touching to be comfortable enough to have sex with his girlfriend again. The first ten days it was physically painful to react to her touch, so any activity other than kissing was out of the question. After that hurdle was taken he had a week where he just couldn't get in the mood for it. At some point his arm cast came off and he was in real pain from the physical therapy, which brought another damper to his libido. And of course there were always the injections, which are not really a turn on. But finally after so long they were able to reach their goal, a night full of love, passion and fulfillment.

They are lying in bed, both spent but happy and are just enjoying each other in the afterglow of lovemaking before sunrise.

"Cath can you take me to the hospital this morning?"

"Is everything okay? Does your head hurt again? You meet with Mark on Friday," Cath leans on one arm and looks at Steve with worry.

"Relax, everything is fine. I get my cast off today."

"Oh that's great, but I thought at the end of the week."

"Nope he said Wednesday, didn't I tell you?"

"Maybe, I just thought it's later."

"Later? Hey it's over eleven weeks now, who has a cast for eleven weeks? I think it's more than long enough by now."

"Will you get PT right away?"

"Yeah we start right after it's off. Mikala said I might need crutches for a couple of days. I hope not."

"Yeah well at least your arm is fine, so you can use them."

"Oh joy. Do you have time to drive me, I can ask Danny if you can't."

"No that's fine I need to be at the base at noon, so yeah I can take you."

"Great. Oh and thank you."

"For what?"

"For getting my meds, I really didn't hear the alarm. You know I would have bet money that there would be more problems with taking my medication. I thought there would be more incidents that would keep me from injecting. But so far only close calls."

"What? You're complaining that something is going relatively smoothly? Way to go McGarrett, I start to believe Danny when he tells me that you are nuts," but she is smiling when she says it, "besides I think those 'incidents' where bad enough."

"Speaking of Danny, did you book the trip yet?"

"No I wanted to wait until you're really back on your feet. You want me to book it now?"

"I think we can plan it in say a few weeks?"

"Yeah okay, I'll talk to Jeff about it, see when it's available, and I ask Rachel what weekend would be okay for Grace."

"Yeah good. He will hate it so much."

"But he will love it because Grace is so excited about it."

"Yeah can you believe it she is not saying a word to him, it's driving him nuts. When you book the trip not the weekend in three weeks, there I get my physical at the base."

"Isn't that a bit early?"

"No that's fine, I need to renew my flight license anyway and figured if I need my flight physical then I can do the other stuff as well. Psych evaluation is on Friday, the rest on Saturday."

"You really wait until you pass all that before you go back into the field?"

"Yeah, I can't go out while I'm still on the drug that wouldn't be safe. Not for the team and not for me. After I pass my physicals I'll go back full time."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>So are you interested in the story? Well I hope so. <strong>_

_**I have a question for all of you: Do you want the Sneak Peeks or should I not tease like that?**_

_**Tell me yes or no to the peeks, in the future I will comply with your wishes. So drop me a line about that.**_

_**This time you will get a little Sneak Peek into the next one:**_

**Chapter 2 - Getting rid of it**

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Steve please talk to me," Danny doesn't like the faraway look Steve is just sporting.

"It was not just the phone call. You were shutting me out for weeks by then."

"What? I didn't shut you out, why do you say that?"

"Danny I came back to the office eight weeks after I broke my arm, the week after my cast came off. By the way I'm going to collect my win in two weeks," Steve is grinning at Danny but that get washed off his face by a wave that rolls over him and submerges him. He comes back up coughing and spitting out water, that wave took him completely by surprise. Black spots are invading his vision and suddenly he has trouble coordinating his arms and legs, he doesn't know what is happening, one second he was fine and the next he is fighting to stay above the water. His stomach decides now to get rid of the lunch they ate at Danny's favorite Pizza place. Next thing he knows is that he is on his back, held securely by Danny while his head rests on Danny's shoulder, at some point while or after throwing up he must have passed out.


	2. Chapter 2 Getting rid of it

_Thank you all so much for all your alerts, comments and just plain reading. You are really awesome._

_Everyone who answered my question about the sneak peeks wanted to keep them coming and since your wish is my command, they will continue._

_Now on with the story._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Getting rid of it<strong>

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Steve please talk to me," Danny doesn't like the faraway look Steve is just sporting.

"It was not just the phone call. You were shutting me out for weeks by then."

"What? I didn't shut you out, why do you say that?"

"Danny I came back to the office eight weeks after I broke my arm, the week after my cast came off. By the way I'm going to collect my win in two weeks," Steve is grinning at Danny but that get washed off his face by a wave that rolls over him and submerges him. He comes back up coughing and spitting out water, that wave took him completely by surprise. Black spots are invading his vision and suddenly he has trouble coordinating his arms and legs, he doesn't know what is happening, one second he was fine and the next he is fighting to stay above the water. His stomach decides now to get rid of the lunch they ate at Danny's favorite Pizza place. Next thing he knows is that he is on his back, held securely by Danny while his head rests on Danny's shoulder, at some point while or after throwing up he must have passed out.

"Danny? What happened?"

"You decided to take a nap. I can tell you not a good idea while in the middle of the ocean. You feel okay?"

"I'm dizzy, kind of sick."

"Does your head hurt?"

"Not really, just a little."

"Well your 'little' is probably someone else's 'really bad'. I think you have a concussion."

"Look who's talking Mr.-my-head-is-killing-me."

"Yeah well but I did not just feed the fish and I did not pass out. And I'm not the one with three previous head injuries. So just humor me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, you can let go now, I'm good," with that Steve starts to swim on his own again.

"Steve seriously, are you okay?"

"I'm good Danny, really, my head does not hurt, no blurry vision, dizziness is almost gone and I'm not sick anymore. So just relax I'm not gonna die in the next minutes."

"Well good because I want to finish our conversation."

"You really wanna do this here? Danny seriously?"

"You got something better to do?"

"Fine. Where was I? OH yeah, you were shutting me out for weeks. It started really small. When I came back I told you that I won't go out in the field as long I was taking the meds. The first week I was back was fine, I was involved in everything that was going on at HQ. You all ran your findings by me, you asked my opinion and such. But the second week it started. After Kono came into my office while I was injecting. After that none of you ever came into my office again. Not one time. You avoided seeing me taking my meds at all costs. All of you had my schedule and you always left me a few minutes before it was time. Sometimes the excuses were really ridiculous. At first I thought it was fun to see you all come up with stupid excuses to not be around me when I needed to take my injection. But with time it started to hurt that you couldn't accept that part of me. I thought maybe it was my fault, that I should not do it in my office, but it only took a few seconds and it's not like I did it when some strangers where around so why shouldn't I do it there?"

Danny is just looking at him, completely speechless, because he just realized that Steve is right. He was not aware of it before and he didn't do it on purpose, but he did always leave shortly before Steve needed to inject himself with the drug.

"Danny can you tell me one day, that any of you asked me if I wanted to join you for a beer after a case? Or for lunch or even just coffee," Steve is now looking at Danny and can see that the wheels in his head are really hard at work. "You all avoided me like I had the plague or something. After we got Vitali and his men, there was no need for you to stay close to me, so you all just stopped."

"Steve that is just stupid what you're saying and absolutely not true. We often had lunch together and we shared drinks."

"Yes Danny 'in the office'. You always asked me if I wanted take out, but none of you went 'out' with me. And we had drinks at my house, never somewhere else. Not as long as I took the drugs, when I was off 'you' invited me the same night to have a beer." Danny can only stare at his friend because he realizes that he is also right with this one, "Danny how often did you watch me inject my meds?"

"I don't know Steven, a few times," Danny is not sure where this is going but he is not feeling good about it.

"Once. I took 442 injections and you watched one of them. You know when that was? The first one at the hospital. You know what would have felt good? You at least knowing how to inject me if I couldn't do that. Danny you are my best friend but you didn't want to have anything to do with me taking the drugs, why is that? Why couldn't you watch me, why weren't you willing to let me show you how to do it? Are you ashamed that I needed those drugs for so long? Are you ashamed of me Danny?"

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (81 _days after the crash)_**

Steve takes his next dose of meds at nine a. m., right before they are leaving for the hospital. He is sitting on the couch and waits for the dizziness to pass, ever since last week he is dizzy for a bit longer after injecting and most times he gets nauseous, at least if he's not lying down. Cath is flopping down next to him and starts to tousle his hair.

"You know it's getting pretty long, but I kind of like it, it's wavy this way."

"Yeah? Don't get used to it, it's getting cut today."

"Oh you get the stitches out today," she is carefully checking the stitches on the back of his head from a bit over a week ago.

"Stitch. Singular. One measly stitch. Really I could have gone without that, it's not like my head was cracked open."

"Yeah right. From where I'm sitting it was," Cath remembers that night eight days ago vividly.

**Eight days ago (73 _days after the crash)_**

"Steve wake up," Cath is trying to rouse Steve who is deeply asleep.

"What," Steve doesn't want to wake up, he feels like he just fell asleep. He knows that it's not time for an injection he did that just a half hour ago.

"Steve there is someone downstairs," Cath is only whispering.

That actually brings him awake instantly. Even with the leg still in the cast his movement out of bed and grabbing the gun from the nightstand is nothing but smooth. His leg is as good as healed; the cast will come off the next week so he has no problem walking on it whatsoever. He slips into a sneaker and is on his way to the door.

"Cath call Danny," he is whispering before he slowly opens the door to peek out. Suddenly Cath is right next to him and whispers in his ear that the phones are both downstairs.

The expletive he uses is soundless, but Cath gets it anyway. They are screwed.

Steve makes his way slowly and without making any noise to the stairs. Cath stays slightly back. He carefully goes down the stairs, avoiding the one creaking step and finds himself suddenly in front of a man completely clad in black. He comes out of nowhere, taking Steve completely by surprise; he just has time to raise his hand to block the blow to the head. But he gets still rattled by the force with which the assailant is hitting him. He is sure that his arm just got badly bruised, but no time for dwelling on that. He ducks the next hit and counters with a hard blow to his opponent's liver that sends him to his knees. Steve uses his own knee to send the final blow to his now exposed head and effectively knocks him out. The attacker falls back over and Steve hears with some satisfaction the popping of his knee when it gets twisted in a very unnatural way. That short fight only took a few seconds. Steve is looking around for any more assailants he can see in the dim light of the beginning day. It's just three thirty and the sun is a while away, but he can see just fine. He wonders where the security guys are, he is worried that they got killed.

Before he can think some more about that he stands face to face with Stephanie who tries to kick him, but he just sidesteps her, grabs her arms and uses her own momentum to throw her on to the stairs. But he doesn't have time to take a look at her because Vitali obviously decided to join his daughter on her trip into insanity. He actually gets a hit in before Steve can block his wild attack, he lost his gun in the fight with the first attacker, he heard it clank to the hardwood floor, but has no idea where it is. He doesn't have time to ponder that any longer because Vitali just kicked his leg and successfully gets him off balance, just enough for Vitali to jump him and send them both to the floor. But now Steve is in advantage, no longer needing to keep his balance he can fight with both hands and has Vitali knocked out in seconds. But he doesn't get a second to breathe, now someone is barreling into his side and throws him off Vitali and knocks the wind out of him, before he can find his bearings his head is smashed into the floor. His vision is instantly graying and he sluggishly tries to fight his attacker off but any fight leaves him when his head is again smashed into the floor. He is dazed and can't get his arms to work he has trouble keeping his eyes open, his vision is blurry and just before he blacks out he realizes that the weight on him is suddenly gone and Cath is screaming something.

He wakes to getting hauled up from the floor and Jefferson screaming something into his face, he doesn't think for a second he just pulls his leg up and buries his knee into Jefferson who is letting go of him with a howling sound that would make any wolf proud. But Steve doesn't stop there he just swings his casted leg and kicks the kneeling Jefferson full force in the head. That kick does two things simultaneously: it knocks Jefferson out cold and lets Steve crash to the floor where he lands with a thud. Both men are lying still after that.

Steve comes to again lying curled on his right side, his newly cast-free arm protectively cradled to his chest, eyes clenched tightly shut and tries to get his heavy breathing under control while his right arm is awkwardly outstretched and grabbing at his lower leg. A low groan escapes when he shifts to roll on his other side. The pain in his lower belly that was almost none existing for the last weeks is back full force. He knows that he needs to move before one of the intruders regains consciousness.

"Cath! Cath are you all right?"

He can't see her and she is not answering; that gets him moving.

He rolls painfully onto his stomach and can't suppress another groan when he stretches his legs out. But that is not stopping him from moving to get his good leg under him so that he can push himself into a kneeling position. The pain in his nearly healed leg almost sends him right back to the floor but he crawls to the couch and uses the back of it to pull himself into an upright position. That sends not only a wave of pain through his left arm but also causes a dizzy-spell he is not prepared for and sends his world into a spin and if it weren't for the hands suddenly grabbing him, would have forced him back to his knees. His vision is graying at the edges and he is leaning on Catherine who appeared next to him just seconds ago.

Steve gets a look at Cath and can see a thin bloodline trailing down the side of her head. He is losing focus again and tries desperately to stay on his feet, if Cath wouldn't support him so heavily he would not be upright anymore. His head feels like it is crushed into a wise grip and the pain is getting worse with every ticking second. He knows that he will pass out just a second before it actually happens but is still able to breathe out "secure them" before he succumbs to the darkness.

Catherine tries to soften Steve's fall but is only able to do so much. She turns him onto his side so that he will not choke if he might throw up. She can see that he bleeds at the back of his head from when his head was smashed into the floor. Momentarily satisfied with her work she looks around for a phone and a weapon. His urgent warning to secure the intruders reminds her about what just happened. She grabs the first gun that is lying on the floor and goes to check on their assailants. Vitali and the unknown attacker are still completely out, Stephanie who she knocked out herself seems not to come to in the near future. She is not taking any chances with the fourth who is just about to come to, when she unceremoniously knocks him out again.

"That's for Steve you bastard," she screams into his face before she hits him with the bud of her gun. Jefferson was the one who smashed Steve's head violently into the floor, knocking him out for a few seconds. He was also the one who threw her against the wall before Steve was able to bring him down, so she feels no remorse whatsoever when he goes down with a grunt.

All four intruders are lying around the living room and she has a good visual on them from behind the couch where she is now kneeling, checking on Steve's breathing, which is way too fast for her liking and at the same time trying to call for help.

She uses Steve's phone and presses speed dial one. It takes 5 rings before she hears Danny's sleepy voice.

"Yeah?"

"Danny send HPD and an ambulance, four men, Steve's down, come now!"

She doesn't even wait for Danny to say anything before she throws the phone down and bents over Steve.

"Steve! Steve what is it, come on talk to me!" She feels her panic rising, Steve doesn't seem able to get enough air into his lungs, he has great difficulties to breathe, and he is groaning loudly it seems that he is trying to move onto his back.

"Steve no! Stay where you are."

"No. . .it hurts. . .can't breathe. . .need on back."

_You idiot_, Catherine is almost screaming at herself, when she realizes what is wrong. When she lowered him to the floor she laid him on his right side and now he seems in pain because of that.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she is gently helping him turn onto his back. Steve's breathing calms down immediately, he pulls up his legs and lays his arms protectively on his lower midsection.

"Cath, you. . .okay?"

"I'm good. My head hurts, but I'm fine."

"Men," Steve has his eyes closed again and she can see that he struggles to become more alert.

"Down for the count. Danny and HPD are on their way. Just relax, everything's OK."

He opens his eyes and looks with such worry at her that she has to laugh, he was just knocked out again, probably has a killer headache but is more worried about the little cut above her eyebrow than about his wellbeing.

"You're hurt," he is touching her forehead just above the small cut."

"I'm fine, don't worry. You want to sit up," she is helping him to reach his goal of sitting up against the back of the couch.

_H50 – H50 – H50_

Catherine is brought back by Steve who is gently touching her side, "Cath I need to lie down for a few minutes can you slide over."

"You still dizzy," she is helping him getting comfortable on the couch. Once in a while he gets really sick from the injection, this seems to be one of those times. It only happened a few times in the past weeks but almost once every day since after he hit his head again a week ago.

"Kind of," he lies down and closes his eyes trying to get the nausea and dizziness under control.

"You gonna be sick," she is putting a pillow under his head and is ready to get a bucket if they would need one.

"Don't think so," Steve is grinning at Cath who is now sitting on the edge of the couch and has her hands in his hair again.

"What are you grinning at?"

"Maybe I shouldn't get a haircut if this is the treatment I would get every morning."

"Oh I wouldn't count on that. You feel better now?"

"Yeah a lot, not nauseous anymore, just a little dizzy," with that he gently grabs her neck and pulls her down for a sweet kiss.

"Oh you do feel better," Cath is smiling into the kiss. "Listen you stay here for a few more minutes I'm just going to grab my stuff, be right back," one last kiss and she is gone upstairs.

Steve is looking after her and wonders not for the first time how he got so lucky. He slowly sits back up and is glad that the nausea is not coming back, the room is still moving around a little but he knows that he will be fine in another minute. He knows how lucky he was that the fight a week ago didn't do any major damage, not even a concussion, even though he had a really bad headache for a day and needed to stay in bed. But he was fine after he slept almost a whole day. He even slept through two injections.

"Steve you ready to leave," Cath is standing in front of him looking down and offering him a hand to get up.

He takes it and holds on to her when his head is spinning a bit more while being upright. But it only last a few seconds and he is good to go. They secure the house and are on their way to finally get rid of the cast on his leg.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em>Thank you for reading. Tell me what you think so far.<em>

_Here we go with the sneak peek into the next installment:_

**Chapter 3 - The really bad day**

**Five weeks ago – _Wednesday – 6.30 pm (81 days after the crash)_**

The scene that greets Cath when she comes home after her trip to the base is not what she expected. Sprawled on the couch, dead to the world and lightly snoring is Steve, clad only in shorts and t-shirt with an ice-pack on a clearly swollen ankle and two crutches heedlessly lying on the floor. He doesn't even stir while she is puttering around the kitchen to heat up the Chinese she brought for dinner. While dinner is heating up she goes to change and freshen up, Steve is still fast asleep when she is back down.


	3. Chapter 3 The really bad day

**Thank you all so much for reading. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and also for just plain reading. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - The really bad day<strong>

**Five weeks ago – _Wednesday – 6.30 pm (81 days after the crash)_**

The scene that greets Cath when she comes home after her trip to the base is not what she expected. Sprawled on the couch, dead to the world and lightly snoring is Steve, clad only in shorts and t-shirt with an ice-pack on a clearly swollen ankle and two crutches heedlessly lying on the floor. He doesn't even stir while she is puttering around the kitchen to heat up the Chinese she brought for dinner. While dinner is heating up she goes to change and freshen up, Steve is still fast asleep when she is back down.

She sits down on the couch table and is debating to wake him up or let him sleep, which he obviously needs if he didn't even wake up while she was noisily running around the house. She notices with a little regret that he did indeed cut his hair today. But the decision is taken out of her hand when the alarm on his watch goes off. And this time he does wake up from it.

"Hey sleepy head," she helps him waking up with a sweet kiss to which he is responding not so sleepily.

"Hey yourself," he winces when he moves his leg to sit up.

"You okay? Your ankle looks bad, what happened," she is taking the ice-pack off to get a better look.

"Nothing. Mikala is brutal, the PT for the ankle is way worse than for my arm. I can't even put any weight on my leg, hurts like hell. The only thing he did was moving the foot up and down, but it hurt really bad. He told me to practice that in the water, I don't think I will move my foot ever again," Steve struggles to get off the couch without putting his foot down.

Cath helps him to balance on one leg while she picks his crutches off the floor, he takes them and hobbles over to the kitchen to get his meds. Leaning against the counter he shoots himself up with the pain reliever that made it possible for him to participate in his normal life activities. Without them he would be in the hospital sleeping the day away. So he takes the injections every five hours over that anytime. Even though the pain from the injection makes him almost double over. Every shot is different, it's always really painful, but sometimes the pain is not traveling down his belly but is only localized at the injection site. Not so this time.

"Damn! I could really live without this pain. Don't you think it's ironic that a pain reliever hurts this much," he is gingerly sitting down at the table because he knows that the dizziness will hit him any second. But it's a mild case and he is not getting sick from it; it was really annoying the last week that the nausea was back with such vehemence, made him throw up more often than he can count.

"You hungry? I brought your favorite Chinese," Cath is putting a plate in front of him and gets the food out of the microwave.

"Yeah didn't have lunch," Steve is digging into his meal with vigor.

"How was your day at HQ?"

"Lonely," Steve mumbles around some chicken and broccoli.

"How come, where were the others?"

Steve starts to tell her about his day after filling his plate up some more.

_**Earlier that day around 11.30 am (81 days after the crash)**_

Steve parks his truck, kills the engine and just leans his head back for a few seconds. _Wow that hurts_, his ankle is throbbing and driving was probably not such a great idea. Even though his foot is pretty secure in his boot and Mikala told him not to worry that after eleven weeks his bones are stable. But after the intense first PT-session the level of pain is almost as bad as before his leg was casted after the break. He opens his door and awkwardly puts his crutches in front of him. He must admit that he would not make it into HQ without them, he doesn't think that he could put weight on his leg. So he hobbles slowly to the entrance and uses for the first time the elevator to reach their floor, he didn't even use it with his cast on. While he is leaning against the wall and waits for the elevator to reach his floor, he almost wishes his cast back. With that on he could walk without any problem and it was not really a hindrance anymore. At least his leg didn't hurt at all. Now it's a complete new level of pain he is experiencing. He never would have guessed that his leg would hurt this much after the cast is off and his leg is allegedly healed. _Yeah right_.

When he reaches the Five-0 offices he wonders shortly about the quiet there, not even the smart table is on and all the computer screens are off. It's obvious that no one is there. He has no information that there was a case that needed them all to leave the office, well they knew that he would show up later today since he told them that he would get his cast off. He told them that it could be after lunch that he'll be in. But everything at the hospital went really smooth so he is back way earlier.

He makes his way over to his office in the hope to find a note why everyone seems to be missing, but nothing of the sort is there. He gets his phone out and dials Danny, but his call gets directly to voicemail, same with Kono and Chin. So he calls Meipala, she is the one in HQ who just knows everything, and no matter how embarrassing it might get he wants to know where his team is.

"Oh hi Meipala," he greets her with his friendliest voice, he knows that she got a thing for him, even though she has three grandchildren already.

"Commander you're still here? Are you meeting with your team later," her voice is as always shipper and you can actually hear the smile in it.

"Ah what?"

"You be late for the brunch with the Governor, did you forget her invitation from Monday? Today, brunch at eleven forty five. Your team left at eleven thirty. But I'm sorry, you called me, what can I do for you?"

"You're right I'm running late, I call you back later," Steve doesn't wait for her answer but ends the call.

He is looking at his phone and thinks about what just happened. Well obviously he missed his team by a minute, they went probably down the stairs while he was in the elevator. For a few seconds he ponders to just go to meet them there, but that would mean that he has to hobble all the way over there on the crutches while his ankle is really bothering him. And besides it's not like he got an invitation for the event. So he just stays where he is and starts on some paperwork but his concentration is not the best, since he is always straying back to the thought why he was not invited. Or at least why he was not informed that they would be over there. _And why is she inviting them to brunch anyway_, that thought stays unanswered.

Steve makes some headway with his paperwork and only takes a break for some lunch at around one pm, which he loses a few minutes after two when he gets sick from the next injection. After he recovers somewhat from that he decides to call it a day, since his team has yet to make an appearance. _Obviously having fun at 'brunch'_. He must admit he feels a little silly to kind of sulking in the office because he was not invited. But there is that nagging feeling that is following him the last few weeks ever since he is back three weeks ago. The last two weeks were not so much fun for him. He always felt like his team was kind of distant with him and he still haven't figured out why. It got a lot worse after Vitali was out of the picture and now this thing with the invitation. He is sure that it is just a misunderstanding of some kind. But they had three days to tell him about it, but no one did.

Steve is leaving his office and while opening the glass door to the bullpen he overbalances and puts his foot down to compensate. The pain that is shooting thru his ankle lets him swear in a fashion that would make a drunken sailor blush. 'He' even didn't realize that he knew words like that. He makes his way carefully out of the office, again using the elevator and again missing his team by a minute.

His next stop is for some shave ice at Kamekona's, but his big friend is not in, so he spents another hour on his own. By then it's almost four pm and he decides to go to the base to get a haircut and see the Admiral. But luck will have it that he was not in.

By the time he is back at his truck he can barely stand upright. His foot is killing him and he decides that this amount of pain is not normal so he stops by the hospital. The Orthopedic Surgeon on call takes a look at his leg but assures him that everything is fine, but that they probably overdid it at his first PT-session and that he should rest his leg for a couple of days and only do some very light exercises until the pain lessens. He got a prescription for pain killers that will not interfere with the drug for his head. Of course he knows that he will not take them.

It's past five when he leaves the hospital and he is already dead on his feet. The only thing to do now is going home and pass out on the couch. He does just that after he changes into something more comfortable. The only clothes he finds without going upstairs are some shorts and a shirt that were in the hamper for the dirty laundry, but he decides that they are not that dirty after all.

After finishing his tale he looks at Cath who is silently laughing.

"What are you laughing about?"

"I'm sorry, seems you had a pretty bad day. Danny called me at around two thirty and asked me if I knew where you are. He was trying to call you but only got your voicemail. He told me that you were obviously very busy at the office with all the paperwork done, but was wondering why you were nowhere to be found. He found out that you were in the office from eleven thirty and was asking ME why you weren't at the Governors brunch," she is now looking at him for an answer.

"Because I was not invited to that 'happy-meeting'," Steve is still a little miffed at the whole situation.

Of course Cath knows him really well and can see that he is not happy about it, "I'm sure it is just a miscommunication thing. I'm sure you were invited to it. Come on call Danny, he is worried, he called my twice more, they tracked your phone and knew that you were at the base and the hospital. Why is your phone off anyway?"

"It's not off, I used it all day," with that he gets the phone out and it is on. "See? It's on, why would I turn it off?"

"Well just call Danny."

"No, he is with Grace tonight, they are at a play. Gracie wanted me to come too, but I told her that I couldn't. Danny needs some time alone with her. Ever since I'm out of the hospital she always wants to spend her Danno-time with me too. That I got hurt so badly really scared her a lot, she is worried that if she doesn't spent time with me that I will disappear into thin air or something. But Danny needs alone-time with his daughter, so I told her that we are busy tonight."

"That was really sweet of you, I know you enjoy your time with her too."

"Yeah I do, she is a great kid to have around."

"She told me that none of the other kids have such a cool uncle. She loves you very much."

"I know. That is kind of scary. I think Danny is a tiny little bit jealous that his daughter has so much fun with me. I'm trying to get her to do a little more with him again, I'm trying to tell her that I won't disappear. Hope it's working and things are getting back to normal."

"She will get over it, she just needs a little time. She was really worried about you," Cath just finished putting away the dishes and is getting back to the table. "So we are busy tonight? Anything special in mind? I mean after you took such a nice nap, you should be fit again."

"I have some ideas, if you like I could show you."

And he did.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Steve you don't really think that I'm ashamed of you, do you," Danny is looking at Steve almost accusingly.

"I don't know Danny, I just don't know. I know how I feel about you, you're my best friend I love you. But I really can't say anymore how you feel about me. Something happened and I just don't know what it is. You are all so distant," Steve is breathing through a bigger wave that goes over his head again and comes back up to see Danny coughing and spitting out water. "Hey you okay?"

"Yeah fine. Steve we're not distant, that is just in your head."

"Oh great now I'm just crazy, terrific."

"Will you stop that, what the hell is the matter with you? Why are you so sensitive all of a sudden?"

"I don't know! I don't know Danny," Steve is screaming in frustration, because he really doesn't know what's the matter with him in the last few weeks.

"Hey listen we talk this out, okay, we figure out what's going on. We're Detectives, right?"

"You're a detective, I'm not, you tell me often enough."

"You're doing it again! You know that I mean that only in good fun, don't you? You're a great Investigator."

"Danny it's funny the first time, or the second and third time, but it's not fun to listen to that every day. Then it's not fun anymore."

Danny suddenly realizes that it really matters to Steve what he thinks about him. He feels kind of honored but also a little miffed that his friend obviously has no idea that he holds him in the highest regards and has nothing but respect for him, "I'm sorry Steve."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I know I always tell you that you're not a cop, and you're not. But that doesn't matter, because you are great at what you're doing. You're a great leader, you're a great investigator and most importantly you're a great friend and partner. Best partner I ever had. I'm sorry that I said some stupid things and that you heard them, unfortunately only half of it," Danny is now coming closer to Steve.

"You said that you wished I stayed on the drugs, because that way your life would be so much easier. You didn't say that to me in good fun, Danny you said that to Rachel. I hated being on that drug, it made me feel out of control, not to mention that it really hurt to shoot me up with it. It made me sick and miserable. But you liked that Steve because he was so easy to handle. Call me sensitive if you want but hearing you saying that in earnest to someone really hurt."

"I'm sorry that I said that without thinking about how that drug made you feel, but you know what I said to Rachel when I was leaving the restroom?"

"No I couldn't hear you when you left."

"I told her that I miss 'my' Steve, that I miss my friend who is somewhere in that other guy. That I miss the crazy SEAL that is my partner."

"You did?"

"Yes you idiot. I missed you. You're still not really back, but you're getting there, today you did a pretty crazy thing, so I think you're on a good way," Danny is grinning now.

"You really missed me?"

"Is that all you heard? I'm not going to live this down, do I?"

"Nope," but for the first time in weeks Steve is sporting a genuine smile.

"All the other things you mentioned, by the way don't you thinks it's pretty crazy to have this conversation in the middle of the ocean instead of at your house on the beach with a cold beer in hand," Danny now becomes aware that this really is crazy.

"You said that we had nothing better to do. And you're somewhat right, so keep talking," Steve figured if Danny is preoccupied with talking he will not realize that there is a fin cruising about twenty yards behind them. Steve knows that it's a harmless shark but Danny would probably flip out, so better not to draw any attention to it.

"OK fine. I think you're right, but I swear Steven we didn't do that on purpose. I don't know why I couldn't watch you inject, really I don't. I'm sorry that it made you kind of uneasy that I didn't know how to do it. That was stupid of me, but since you didn't go out in the field I figured the chances for you not being able to inject are pretty slim. I'm sorry that I was not there to help you when it happened."

"That was not your fault," Steve remembers the times he couldn't get to his medication, not particularly fond memories.

"Steve I now realize how some of the things must have looked to you, but I swear nothing was meant to hurt you or shut you out. Please believe that."

"I do, kind of. . .Danny I feel sick," with that the rest of his lunch is coming out. He knows that he shouldn't do it but he uses the seawater to rinse out the taste of his own vomit. The evidence of his sickness gets washed away and he feels himself again held securely by Danny.

"Hey you gonna pass out on me again," Danny's voice is full of worry.

"No I'm not dizzy, my head doesn't hurt much. Danny I think I'm seasick," Steve sheepishly admits.

"Seasick?"

"Yeah."

"You're kidding me right?"

"No afraid not. The up and down makes me sick."

"Steve that is ridiculous, you're a SEAL for Christ sake, you don't get seasick!"

"My stomach is really delicate at the moment it's a leftover from the drug. As a kid I often had motion sickness, now I usually only get it on a big ship in really bad weather, but sometimes I even get sick in the car, why do you think I always want to drive?" Steve tries to breathe thru the rolling sensation of his stomach.

"You serious about this," Danny can't believe what his friend just told him. How can a SEAL be seasick?

"Did I tell you that I didn't pass my flight physical because of it?"

"But you passed your physical and the psych evaluation."

"Yeah I did, but not the one for my flight license I need to go back in two weeks and do it again. I puked all over the place when they hung me upside down and turned me from left to right. Was really embarrassing."

Danny would swear that his friend is actually blushing, "They didn't renew your license? That can't be we flew just two days ago."

"What? Oh they did, just not for combat flying. I passed every other test and the 'normal' flight physical just not the one for combat flying."

"What the hell do you need that for?"

"You never know. But I'm not sure that I will pass it in two weeks," and to underline that statement his stomach decides to get rid of its very last content.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p>AN – I think it's time to get a few Hawaiians into the story so Steve's Physical Therapist is Mikala, which is the Hawaiian Name equivalent for MIKE.

And the good soul of HQ is Meipala which means MABLE.

And just for fun, if you might be interested:

Steve – Kiwi  
>Steven – Kiwini<p>

Daniel – Kaniele  
>Danny – Kani<p>

Catherine – Kakalina

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><p><em><strong>So do you believe Steve is seasick? Or is there another reason for him experiencing all those symptoms, some underlying serious head injury maybe? Any guesses?<strong>_

_**Okay here is a little sneak peek into the next chapter:**_

**Chapter 4 - Just a day at the office**

**Five weeks ago (82 _days after the crash)_**

"Steve you want some more coffee", Cath is asking while putting their dishes into the sink. "Hey what is going on, I know you're tired but now you look really angry," she is looking at her friend, knowing that he had a really bad night and that their lovemaking last night caused some pain in his still swollen ankle.

"I can't even swim," his tone of voice clearly tells her that he is royally pissed at something.

"What do you mean you can't swim?"


	4. Chapter 4 Just a day at the office

_**Thanks again for reading! I think it is time for some Steve whumpage, so let's get it started. Enjoy!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - Just a day at the office<strong>

**Five weeks ago (82 _days after the crash)_**

"Steve you want some more coffee", Cath is asking while putting their dishes into the sink. "Hey what is going on, I know you're tired but now you look really angry," she is looking at her friend, knowing that he had a really bad night and that their lovemaking last night caused some pain in his still swollen ankle.

"I can't even swim," his tone of voice clearly tells her that he is royally pissed at something.

"What do you mean you can't swim?"

"I couldn't sleep after five so I went for a swim. But I couldn't move my ankle, not even in the water, it hurts really badly. I don't get it, why the hell does it hurt this bad? I can't even put any weight on it. My leg is supposed to be healed so why the hell can't I use it. I was way better off with the cast on," it is more than clear that Steve is pretty frustrated with the reaction of his body to getting rid of the cast.

Cath knows that it is normal to be in more discomfort the first days without the protective cast on, the muscles need to learn to move again. That process is painful, especially if the joint was immobilized for as long as Steve's ankle was. But still she finds it a little odd that he is complaining about such intense pain, since he has a very high tolerance for pain.

"I'm sure you will be able to walk without the crutches in a couple of days. Steve it's normal to feel some discomfort, you didn't move your ankle for more than eleven weeks. It needs some time."

"Cath I'm not talking about discomfort, my ankle _really_ hurts I can't even put my foot down and I would not be able to walk without the crutches. I'm even going to fill my prescription and I'm actually going to take those damn pills," Steve wished he had filled the prescription for the pain killers yesterday; maybe he wouldn't be in such pain now.

"Steve I didn't mean to doubt the level of pain you're in, I know you wouldn't complain if it were not really bad. Maybe we should swing by the hospital again, get it checked out," she is now standing next to where he is still sitting at the table and gives him a kiss on top of his head.

"I was there yesterday and the doctor on call said everything is fine. Maybe you're right and I need to be more patient, I just didn't expect to be in such pain after all this time. Can you drive me to work on your way to the base, I don't think I should drive. I can't even put my boot on."

"Sure no problem, we can stop at the pharmacy and get your pills as well. So you're going to work in just socks?"

"One sock one boot, maybe I can set a new trend," he is now smiling for the first time this morning.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve hobbles again into HQ and uses the elevator to get to the floor where Five-0 is located. He took one of the prescription pain pills about twenty minutes ago and is finally feeling some relieve, his ankle is not throbbing so mercilessly any more. It's down to a more bearable level, but he still cannot put even the slightest bit of weight on his foot. He did that accidentally when he got out of the car and his ankle screamed its displeasure about that very loudly at him. So now he is keeping his leg carefully bent so not to touch the ground with his foot. He feels a bit ridiculous with only a white sock on, but there is no way that he will put his foot in any kind of shoe today.

When he steps out of the elevator he wonders if any of his team will be in yet, well Danny will be in a bit later because he needs to drop off Grace at school first. Chin is often in very early, so he might be there already. But when he rounds a corner he is run down by Danny, who smacks into him and causes him to lose his balance and to put his foot down. He would have fallen if it weren't for Danny who instinctively grabs him around the waist to keep him from falling. What that doesn't prevent is Steve blanching and swaying from the dizziness that the intense pain causes that is shooting through his ankle.

Steve leans into Danny and let him hold him upright all the while grumbling and silently cursing.

"Steve I'm sorry I didn't see you, what are you doing here so early," Danny still holds on to his friend whose color didn't improve yet and who looks like as if he will keel over any second.

"Couldn't sleep and Cath needs to be at the base at eight. What are you doing here I thought you need to drop Grace off at school," Steve now pulls back a little and uses his crutches to lean on.

Danny still holds Steve lightly at his waist but realizes that he can stand on his own again. It is now that he takes a good look at Steve and can see that he is not even wearing a boot on his foot, "Grace got sick last night and wanted her mom so we drove to Rachel in the middle of the night."

"She okay?"

"Yeah she's fine, I think I allowed her too much ice cream too late. So what's with you, why aren't you wearing a boot and why are you on crutches? Don't tell me you did something stupid like chasing a shoplifter while you were shopping or something." They made it into Steve's office by now where he sits down gratefully on his couch and puts his leg gingerly up.

"I didn't do anything. Had PT yesterday and Mikala moved my ankle up and down. Can't put any weight on it, but it's supposed to be fine."

"Got any pain meds for it? Did you take anything," Danny knows his friend who is known for not liking to take pain medication if he can avoid it.

"Actually I did, filled it this morning, since it still hurts like hell."

"Speaking of hell, why did you leave us hanging at the Governor's? We really could have used your skills with her. She was bugging us all the time where you were. So why the hell where you in your office instead of at the brunch?"

"Because I was not invited! And when I finally figured out where you all where it was almost noon and I really wasn't in the mood to hobble over there when my ankle was killing me and I wasn't invited anyway," Steve is somewhat accusingly looking at Danny.

"What do you mean you were not invited? She told us on Monday when we were talking to her about the reports and how it goes with the new liaisons officer," Danny can't believe that he forgot about that.

"She didn't say anything like that."

"Of course she did, right before we left."

"Danny I left earlier because I had to take my injection, I didn't leave with you we met again outside."

"Shit. Steve I'm sorry, you're right. You left about ten minutes earlier, you really didn't know about it and I only told Chin and Kono and then it was not mentioned again. I'm sorry Steve."

"Ah forget it Danny it's not important, I'll call the Governor and tell her I wasn't feeling well, which is the truth anyway," he is now smiling at Danny even though it does not reach his eyes, "So tell me how was your evening with Grace, apart from the too much ice cream part."

"It was great. Thank you by the way, I know what you're doing. I really needed that. She asked about you a few times though and she demands that you call her today. She repeated that even when she was feeling so sick, so you better call her. How did you get my daughter to absolutely keep your secret under wraps, she is not telling me what kind of trip we're taking. She never can keep a secret but I think she would not even tell me under torture. How did you do that?"

"I have skills Danno, but if I tell you I have to kill you," Steve is telling him with a dead serious expression that lets Danny crack up.

"Right your people skills are legendary."

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Kono did you hear from Danny or Steve?"

"No they went to talk to the harbor master, why?"

"I tried to call them but I only get their voicemails."

"You want to trace their phones, than we would at least know where they are."

"Yeah do that, I have a bad feeling about this."

It only takes them a few minutes to figure out that their phones are off and not traceable.

"This is odd. Let's go talk to the harbor master and find out where they went."

Thirty minutes later they are talking to the harbor master Dave Jones.

"Mister Jones can we have a minute of your time?"

"What is it with you guys today, don't you think I have better things to do than talking to you all day?"

"My colleagues talked to you earlier," Kono is leading the interview.

"Yeah sure, asked a bunch of questions. Then they took a look into the log and left."

"Do you know where they went?"

"They wanted to check the 'Ilyanov'."

"What's that?"

"That's a small freighter down at dock 21a."

"Who is the owner?"

"It belongs to some Russian firm, they are here once every ten days, I think they are going to Japan and back on a regular basis. They left two hours ago."

"Were they still at the dock when McGarrett and Williams went to see them?"

"Yeah they left shortly after."

They thank the harbor master and are leaving for Dock 21a in the hope to find anything. They are in luck and find their friends car, parked at the end of the dock, where up until a few hours ago the freighter was still laying.

"You don't think they are on that boat?"

"Yeah I do Kono. We need to call the Coast Guard."

"And then what? We can't just board that freighter, we have zero evidence that Steve and Danny are on it."

"Yeah I'm going to call them anyway," he does that and gets informed that there was an incident involving the 'Ilyanov', a small explosion occurred. A Coast Guard ship was nearby and could aid in containing the small fire. But they are again on their way since there was only minimal damage.

"I'm calling Catherine, maybe she can pull up some satellite picture when the explosion happened."

"Chin she is not a magician, do you think she can get us pictures?"

"We're talking about her boyfriend here. Do you really think we will not get those pictures?"

"You got a point there," Kono is smiling at the thought of those two. Chin is already trying to get his Boss's 'girl' on the phone. An hour later they are let to an office to meet with the liaisons officer Lieutentant Rollins.

"Chin, Kono come in. I have the images up in a few minutes, David is sending them over. You think they are okay?"

"We don't even know if they are on that boat."

They get interrupted by Admiral Davies' son David, who got no pictures but a flash drive.

"You won't believe this. I already informed Search and Rescue, they are on their way."

"What?"

"Look for yourself," with that he puts the flash drive into the usb port and starts the video.

They can clearly see the freighter and on it are a few people chasing after two figures that are running to the bow of the ship, ducking bullets as they go. One of those bullets hits a drum that is standing on deck and lets it go up in a small explosion. But still big enough to knock both men into the railing before they go overboard while the freighter keeps its course. For a few seconds they can still see the two men in the water, both obviously alive. Then they are out of view, next they see how the fire is extinguished and the Coast Guard is coming to their aid.

"They were so close and didn't see them," Kono is pointing out the obvious.

"Is SAR out yet?"

"Yeah they are already air born and hopefully find them soon. But the current there is pretty tricky they can be drifting in all directions. So they have a bit of ground to cover. But the Coast Guard will join them and the Navy is also looking for them."

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (82 _days after the crash)_**

Steve is feeling himself nodding off. The lines of the report he is reading are blurring and he struggles for a few minutes now to not fall asleep. He didn't sleep much last night, first their activities in bed kept him busy and then he couldn't fall asleep after he took his injection at midnight. He felt miserable and sick until early morning, needed bathroom breaks to lose his dinner a few times. So when he woke up at five a.m. to take his next injection, after finally falling asleep only an hour prior, he was not a happy camper. He dozed a little longer but at five thirty he got up, frustrated, grumpy, tired and not in a good mood. Not even a swim could improve his mood and it certainly didn't help that he was again left alone in the office hours ago when his team went out to investigate some leads 'he' came up with. Not being able to leave the office really got on his nerves. It seriously starts to affects him, that he is not able to do his normal work. He tells himself that he can soon, now with his cast off, but as long as he is taking the medication for his head he is not going to risk it.

He would never forgive himself if anything would happen to one of his team because he was not on top of his game. And he must admit that the drug is affecting him on various levels. Nobody probably realizes it, but he knows that his reaction time is slower than usual; he gets dizzy-spells that last only seconds but throw him off balance at times, make him stumble and unstable on his feet; not to mention that he 'needs' to shoot himself up with the drug every five hours and there would be no guarantee that he would be able to do that out in the field. So he decided to stay in, to the surprise of his team who would have bet that he would go out sooner. But first thing he learned in the Navy: never endanger your team because you're not fit for duty.

Only a couple more weeks and hopefully his 'drug addiction' will be a thing of the past. When he feels his head drop down to his chest again he leans back in his chair to take a cat nap. It takes not even a second to actually fall asleep.

He is woken up by the alarm on his watch that stops just as he becomes aware that it is beeping. That means that it is a few minutes past three and he slept through ten minutes of beeping, that thought actually gets him going. He remembers Dr. Hope who said that he got a window of not more than ten minutes to inject his meds.

Steve is just pushing his chair back from his desk and grabs his crutches when he is assaulted by an excruciating pain in his lower right leg. His calf muscle cramps with such intensity that it feels like his leg is being crushed. If that were the only muscle starting cramping on him he would have been able to get his medication, but next is his hamstring chiming in. That feeling is so powerful that he crumbles to the floor behind his desk hitting his knee in the process. He is writhing on the floor and tries to move his leg to loosen the tight muscles, but the spasms are only intensifying with every second. The pain is now spreading up to his abdominal muscles and he actually cries out from the pain in his gut. There is no way that he will be able to get one of his syringes to inject his medication. He is cursing himself now for taking the black box out of his pocket and putting it in the little fridge. But on the other hand he would probably not even be able to shoot himself up with it if someone would put the syringe in his hand.

Black spots are dancing in front of his eyes, the pain is so intense that he has trouble breathing and he can feel the bile rising. Seconds later he throws up all over himself and the floor. Tears of pain, anger and desperation are flowing down his cheeks. He can feel losing control over his body when a seizure is shaking him. Now there are added tears of shame and embarrassment when he feels that he wet himself. _Just shoot me now_ is his last thought before the blinding agony of his headache starts. He actually bangs his head on the floor, driven by blinding pain, humiliation, shame and fear. He lies on the floor behind his desk writhing in extreme pain and wishes for the darkness to swallow him but he needs to wait some very long agonizing minutes for his wish to come true. Finally after almost thirty minutes another burst of pain behind his forehead drives him over the edge into blissful unconsciousness.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny Williams is frustrated, their 'lead' kept him out of the office for hours and led nowhere. He is now coming back with his team mates to inform their boss that the whole day was a waste. _Oh that will cheer him up_, he thinks about the foul mood Steve was in all morning. And those news will not help either. He is actually kind of glad when he sees that Steve's office is empty, he obviously finally gave in to the pain of his ankle and went home. Danny decides not to call him in case he actually rests and plans to go to his house later instead. It's already almost five, so he is just finishing up his paperwork and leaves the office with Chin and Kono around six.

"You guys wanna come see Steve, we could bring pizza and tell him about our findings or non-findings that is."

"Sorry Danny but we promised Kamekona to help him with something. Tell Steve we said hi."

It takes Danny twenty minutes to reach Steve's house and he is standing in front of the door and debates to actually ring the bell when the door is opened by Cath.

"You guys are late," she is smiling at Danny and is looking around him to the car. "Where is Steve?"

"What?"

"Didn't he come with you?"

"What do you mean come with me? Isn't he home? He left the office hours ago."

"How did he leave Danny, he doesn't have his car, I drove him to work. When did he leave?"

"Actually I don't know, when I got back around five he was not there so I assumed that he left earlier." Danny is looking now with great worry at Cath who seems to think the same as he does, "Let's go back to the office."

They make it back there in record time and entering the offices to find them with no lights on. They are crossing the bullpen and opening the door to Steve's office to be greeted by the strong smell of old vomit. They switch on the light and are completely shocked at what they see.

On the floor partially hidden by his desk is Steve, lying half on his side and his belly, almost in the safety position. He is soiled from his own vomit and it is obvious that he at some point lost control over his bladder and under his head is a small puddle of blood. Small tremors are running over his body, but other than that he lies still and is obviously unconscious.

"Oh my god," Cath is next to him in a second and is checking his breathing.

"This is Danny Williams of Five-0, I need an ambulance at Headquarters right now, I have an officer down," they can hear the sirens in the distance almost instantly. "What happened here?"

"Danny his alarm stopped at three-o-five, he didn't set the new one. God Danny he didn't inject, get a syringe out of the fridge."

Cath has the offered syringe ready to inject in a matter of seconds and empties the drug into his system. All the while the only sign of life are the tremors that are still running over his whole body.

Danny blanches considerably when he realizes that his friend is lying like this for four hours now and that he was right next door without knowing what was going on in here. He feels completely miserable and shocked about the knowledge that his best friend could have died right under his nose. He is looking at Catherine who is now kneeling next to Steve and is gently stroking his forehead careful not to touch the small laceration. But even though she is talking to him the whole time Steve is not stirring at all, the tremors are slightly abating though.

A minute later the paramedics are entering and taking over the scene. Cath informs them of what happened and that he needs to get to Queens Medical.

"Looks like he had a seizure and hit his head. Let's load him on the stretcher in this position, he seems to breathe just fine, BP is good, OK let's move him."

Steve is on the stretcher, secured and on his way to the ambulance in less than two minutes. Danny is very glad that no one is there to see his friend in this condition, they don't meet anyone on their way down.

"Cath you go with him, I'll meet you at Queens." Before he goes to his car he organizes a cleaning crew to clean up Steve's office. Lights and sirens let him make good time and he enters the ER just a few minutes after Steve.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh man Steve really can't catch a break, let's hope that he did not injure himself even further. I can promise you one thing: it will be a very interesting trip to the ER.<strong>_

_**Here is a tiny little sneak peek into the next one:**_

**Chapter 5 – Trip to the ER**

**Five weeks ago (82 _days after the crash)_**

It is a few minutes past ten when Mark Hope finally arrives in the waiting room of the ER.

"Mark how is he, is he all right," Catherine doesn't even give him time to greet them. Mark Hope became a good friend over the course of the last weeks he was always there when they needed him. He even came to see Steve in the middle of the night when he was so sick that Cath got scared and called him for help. He never complained that she might be overreacting. He always took the time to be there for them, she will never forget what he did for Steve.


	5. Chapter 5 Trip to the ER

**Chapter 5 – Trip to the ER**

**Five weeks ago (82 _days after the crash)_**

It is a few minutes past ten when Mark Hope finally arrives in the waiting room of the ER.

"Mark how is he, is he all right," Catherine doesn't even give him time to greet them. Mark Hope became a good friend over the course of the last weeks he was always there when they needed him. He even came to see Steve in the middle of the night when he was so sick that Cath got scared and called him for help. He never complained that she might be overreacting. He always took the time to be there for them, she will never forget what he did for Steve.

"Let's have a seat. Steve is doing as well as can be expected, I talked to him for a few minutes and he is sleeping now he will be settled into a private room shortly. I'm going to keep him for the night but I think he can leave tomorrow," Dr. Hope is smiling at the two people in front of him.

"So he will be okay," Danny still wants to hear that is friend will be all right.

"Yes Danny he will be fine. I don't know why he didn't inject his medication but missing that shot set off a chain of event. He got extremely painful cramps in his leg and abdomen, he was not able to move and he suffered a seizure caused by the excruciating pain, when his headache started he smashed his head into the floor in the hope to pass out but that didn't happen. He was awake for thirty minutes before he finally blacked out. He is completely and utterly humiliated and embarrassed by what happened. When you see him try to make him understand that he has no reason to be embarrassed. He could not have avoided any of his body's reactions."

"Does he have a concussion?"

"No Cath he is fine, we did an MRI and there is no damage. He didn't hit his head hard enough for it. There is only a very small cut that was bleeding quite a bit, but didn't even need to be glued or stitched. When he had the seizure he hit the desk with his ankle but he got lucky there as well just some bruising, but not sprained or anything else. He got a bruise under his right knee, probably from the fall, that will hurt a bit, but there was also no damage to the joint."

"Can we see him now?"

"As soon as he is settled in his room. Did one of you bring his meds?"

They are both looking at each other but none of them thought about that.

"You need to get them, he needs his next injection at midnight. Cath you gave him one at seven, is that right?"

"Yes when we found him I injected right away."

"Good, Danny can you get his black box? Fill it up if there are not three in it, he will need more than one as long as he is here."

"Yeah I'll go and get them, Cath see you in a bit," with that he is out the door to get his friends medication.

"Mark, will this be a huge setback for him?"

"No, don't worry. I know it looked really awful to see him like that. But there was no damage done. He will be fine in the morning, really. It was a very painful and embarrassing experience for him but his body will recover from it really quick. I called Dr. Jordan she will come by in a couple hours. I meant it when I said that he is humiliated in the worst way, Cath he didn't even want to see you. But I think in this case we should not listen to him."

"Mark thank you for everything you're doing for him, I don't know what we would do without you," she is giving him a peek on the cheek that actually makes him blush a little.

"You're welcome, come on I bring you to his room, he should be settled by now."

H50 – H50 – H50

All the way back to HQ, Danny is thinking about his friend and what could have happened. About that he was lying right next door in his own vomit and. . .he doesn't even want to think about how Steve must feel to be found like that by his friends. Danny shudders when he thinks that Steve could have easily choked and died in such a way. Steve went through so much he does not deserve that kind of humiliation and Danny vows to make sure that he will see that no one is thinking any less of him because this was happening to him.

When he enters Steve's office he is pleasantly surprised that the cleaning crew did a terrific job, there is no evidence that anything ever happened in here. It even smells fresh and not like disinfectant, he needs to make sure to thank them.

Danny takes the black box and fills it up with two more syringes out of the fridge. He needs to remind Steve to bring some new ones from home, there is only one left in it. He takes one last look, grabs the discarded crutches and makes his way out of the office. One look at his watch shows him that he has enough time to get down to the locker and grab Steve's extra set of clothes that is always stored there. When he punches in Steve's number and opens the locker he has to smile at the neatness that greets him. Not like his own locker that still looks like it did in high school. Everything in Steve's locker is neat and tidy, three t-shirts perfectly stacked on the top shelf, underwear and socks on the bottom next to an extra pair of boots. And in between on some hangers are three button-down shirts and two pair of cargos. _Yeez not even my closet at home looks like this_; Danny picks out what he needs and stuffs it into the duffel bag that lies on top of the locker. Satisfied with his work he hurries out of HQ and is on his way to his friend who again ended up in the hospital. Hopefully just for the night.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve comes awake to the burning pain the injection of his medication causes that is obviously someone administering into his abdomen. He curls in on his side with a groan and breathes through the pain and following dizziness without openings his eyes. Completely ignoring the people talking to him. He can hear Cath who is speaking soothingly to him while she is stroking his back in comforting circles and Danny who is also softly speaking to him. He hopes that they will just leave him the hell alone so that he can go back to sleep and doesn't have to face them. He remembers now what happened and how his body betrayed him and that his friends probably found him like that. Or the cleaning crew, he is not sure which thought is worse, but in all honesty he doesn't even want to know what happened after he passed out, he only wants to go back to sleep.

He becomes a little more alert when he moves his leg which causes pain in his ankle and knee, which feels swollen and kind of warm. His friends are still talking to him and trying to coax him to open his eyes, but he keeps them stubbornly closed and just blends everything out and goes to a place deep in his mind. He can feel everything ebbing away, the pain in his leg, the soreness of his muscles and the annoying voices. Instead he can hear the waves softly rolling onto the shore, he can hear seagulls and the wind. It's peaceful and he goes deeper into it until he can't hear his friends anymore and he is no longer present in the room. While in that disassociative state he can't hear or see anything but the world he creates. He never used the technique while others where around him, he knows that it must scare people when he looks like he is completely zoned out, which he actually is. But tonight he doesn't care he just wants to disappear, to be swallowed by a huge deep hole or disintegrate into nothingness. And since none of that is happening he just puts his mind to rest, works equally well. He retreated so deeply into his mind that he is not aware anymore that he at some point opened his eyes but they are looking at nothing, his gaze is completely empty which freaks his friends out a little.

"Steve, can you hear me," Cath is not getting an answer when she is looking in the completely blank eyes of her friend.

"Cath what is happening?"

"Danny I don't know, I've never seen him like this. We should call Mark maybe his head injury is way worse than he thinks," but before they can decide on anything the door opens to reveal Dr. Jordan, who looks completely different out of uniform. She is wearing some kind of festive wardrobe, like she was at an event.

"JoJo thank you for coming. I'm sorry are we keeping you from something," Cath is indicating her dress.

"John and I are having our 35th Anniversary today."

"Oh I'm really sorry JoJo."

"No it's okay John send me away, he knows that I have to see Steve. It's okay, really. What happened," she is now next to Steve and is looking at him with worry written all over her face. When she looks at Cath and Danny again they can see that she deeply cares for their friend.

"We don't know he just zoned out on us, we can't rouse him, but he seems to be awake. I injected his meds, that woke him up, he curled in on himself and just ended up like this."

"Mark told me what happened in the office, will you please leave me alone with him. I meet you outside in a few minutes."

"No I don't want to leave him," Cath is looking at JoJo like she has lost her mind.

"Cath please leave with Danny, I promise you everything will be all right. Please just leave us for a few minutes."

They reluctantly leave Steve alone with his therapist, who will hopefully bring him back.

H50 – H50 – H50

"They wouldn't leave," Steve whispers when he hears the door closing. He became aware of JoJo as soon as she spoke up. Her voice always brings him out of his safe place in seconds and Dr. Jordan of course knows that. "I'm sorry about your plans tonight," he adds very softly.

"That's fine Steve don't worry about it. You scared your friends. You promised me never to use that technique in front of people, only in my presence," she is chiding him a little.

"But you're here."

"Smartass," but she is smiling at him, "Steve why did you do that, why did you retreat?"

"They wouldn't leave me alone and I didn't want to face them," he admits.

"And that is why you scared the shit out of your friends? Because they were worried and didn't want to leave you alone," JoJo can see that her little outburst shocked him a little and continuous in a much softer voice, "I know what happened to you earlier that they found you like that. That why you didn't want to face them? Because you're embarrassed about it?"

"I puked and peed all over myself and was lying like that for hours. And they found me like that," Steve is not even looking at her.

"Yeah, so? You were very sick and could have died there, Steve you're not responsible for what your body is doing. You had a seizure, you're extremely lucky that it didn't cause any damage or more seizures. There is no way in hell that you could have prevented any of that. And for being found by your friends, do you prefer some strangers? Someone who would tell all kinds of stories about it to all kinds of people? Your friends will not talk about it to anyone," JoJo looks at Steve who is now at least looking at her even though he is not saying anything, "What would you think if you found one of your friends in a situation like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you think any less of him or her?"

"What? No of course. . .," Steve is now actually smiling at her, "Cath said the same thing about me passing out in the jungle."

"Smart girl. So will you now talk to your friends? Hey what's wrong," she can see that Steve is grimacing in pain.

"Moved my ankle; hurts really badly. They say nothing is wrong, but JoJo it really hurts, every little movement is excruciating," Steve is trying to move into a more comfortable position but fails miserably.

She gets up from her chair and folds up the pillow and blanket from the unoccupied bed and very gently positions his hurt leg on it. She can see that the ankle is still badly swollen and makes sure that nothing is pressing on it. She rearranges the pillow some more so that his knee is better supported, "How did you bruise your knee?"

"Fell on it when I went down," he tries not to cry out by her ministrations but when she put his leg on the pillow she moved his ankle which resulted in a burst of pain all the way up his leg.

"Steve listen to me I'm going to hunt down someone in the orthopedic department, they need to take a look at this. That amount of pain is not normal and you're not one to complain of pain in the first place. So for you to say anything, it must hurt incredibly badly. You just hang in there and I promise they will look into it in the next hour. I'm going to get your friends back in here, don't scare them again," she is smiling down at him, "talk to them. I promise to be back quick with someone for your leg."

H50 – H50 – H50

After his leg is settled on the mountain of pillow and blanket, the pain quietens down a little and he can lay down a bit more comfortably. His headache is non-existent anymore only his knee is mildly throbbing, besides from his ankle of course. Even with the pain killers in his system the pain got worse over the course of the day. He is sure that fighting against the pain all day played a factor in him being so tired that he slept through the alarm in the afternoon.

He has had bad days the last weeks but in general he was relatively fine, so this onset of pain when his cast came off is a huge setback for him. He is just lying back down even more into the bed in the hope to fall asleep before his friends are back. A hope that he knows will not be fulfilled. It only takes a few minutes until the door is opened again to let his friends in. Undoubtedly informed by JoJo about what happened. He closes his eyes again in shame that he caused them additional worry and that he scared them.

Next thing he feels is being kissed by Cath, who is gently laying her hand on his head and grabbing his hand in hers.

"You scared us my friend," Danny takes his other hand, gives it a squeeze and very softly speaks to him.

"I'm sorry," Steve whispers while opening his eyes to look at his friends.

"Yeah well just don't do it again, okay," Danny is actually smiling down at him and lays his other hand on his upper arm, "How do you feel?"

"Ashamed and embarrassed," Steve sheepishly admits and actually turns a nice shade of red.

Cath speaks up for the first time since they are back in the room, "Please don't be Steve, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Easy for you to say, you did not pee in your pants and didn't puke all over the place and drooled on the floor."

"No, but my boyfriend did and I think that there is nothing embarrassing about getting sick like that. I'm so happy that nothing worse happened, that he only needed to get cleaned up and is ready to go home in the morning. I just wish he would see that. Steve we love you and we don't care in what condition we found you, we're just happy that you're okay."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Danny has a very serious face when he looks intently at Steve.

"Danny don't go there, it was not your fault," Steve can read Danny like a book even though he always says that he doesn't have a 'face'. But right now he has his guilty-face on.

"I was in the office for over an hour while you were lying right under my nose. I didn't even check into your office when I came back, I didn't see you sitting there and just assumed you went home. Steve I'm sorry," Danny is obviously beating himself up over this.

"Thank you for coming back for me," Steve hopes that Danny will come to terms with the fact that he is not at fault in any way.

"Anytime. So tell us what's with your leg, JoJo said that you're in some serious pain from it."

"I don't know, it just really hurts. It got worse all day and I think the swelling got worse too even though I didn't put any weight on it," Steve is moving a little again to find a more comfortable position, but his sore muscles of his abdomen are preventing that. "They are going to take a look at it again."

Just a couple minutes later a nurse comes to the room with a wheelchair. The transfer into it is pretty painful even with the help of Danny.

"You can wait here, I'm sure we will be back within the hour," with that Steve is wheeled out to get his leg checked.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Please tell me that is not what I think it is," Danny is looking somewhat panicky ahead of them while at the same time is getting real close to Steve. If they were on dry land Steve is sure Danny would hide behind him. He has to smile a little at that thought.

"Danny relax it's been swimming around us for twenty minutes now."

"WHAT? We're dead, we are so dead. Where is he, where did he go? Steve do something."

"Danny it is a harmless shark, it's not aggressive. Just relax nothing is going to happen, just stay calm."

"Stay calm? We are surrounded by sharks and you want me to stay calm. They smelled the blood, they smelled your blood, they are going to attack us because you're still bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding."

If his friend were not five seconds from a total panic attack Steve would laugh his head off. It is obvious that Danny saw 'Jaws' just one time too many. "DANNY! That shark will not attack, not you, not me, that poor thing is more scared of us than we of him. We will be fine, it will leave us in a few minutes, because we are not on his menu."

Danny tries to relax a little, after all his friend is a SEAL and should know those things, but he is still staying really close and is just now realizing that he has actually grabbed Steve's arm. "I'm sorry."

"It's OK Danny, nothing you have to be sorry for."

"They really are not aggressive? They won't attack us?"

"No they won't. As long as we're not a threat to them, so just stay as you are."

It takes another minute but finally the fin is leaving them to look for some food that is more after their taste.

"Steve you feel better," Danny is still really close to his friend and can see that he has almost no color in his face.

"A little; just a bit queasy. How is your head?"

"Hurts but I think it's fine. But I'm getting tired of this swimming all the time, I'm really not into swimming you know."

"Really? I would never have guessed that. But you do just fine Danny. Just keep going like that and you'll be fine. Tell me when you need a break."

"Yeah then what you get us out of the water?"

"No but I will keep you afloat while you can rest. Danny for me being in the water and staying afloat is easier than walking, even though I wouldn't win any prizes for actual swimming right now."

"Why not? Steve are you hurt and didn't tell me," Danny is instantly going into worry-mode, he knows that will happen in the next weeks to come after what they went through after Steve was kidnapped.

"No I told you just bruises, but they start to hurt more. My leg hurts pretty bad and my ribs are starting to get uncomfortable. Danny relax nothing serious. I bet you're hurting too."

"Yeah, here and there. You think they will look for us by now?"

"I'm pretty sure Chin and Kono will know that we're missing by now. Probably have found the car and asked Cath for help. I guess the chances are pretty good that 'Search and Rescue' is already on their way."

"So we're not spending the night in open water?"

"Danny I highly doubt that. We're only in the water for a couple hours now, it's still early. Don't worry we will be out of here soon."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thanks again for reading. Drop me a line - really makes my day.<br>**_

_**Well seems to me that Steve is a little too optimistic about the time they will spend in the water. But who knows?**_

_**And as always a little sneak into the next one. Steve has his own ideas how to spend the next twenty four hours. ;-)**_

**Chapter 6 - The big escape**

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

It takes another minute but finally Steve is alone. It is almost two a.m. now and even though he told his friends that he is really tired he actually is not. He just wanted them to leave. His humiliation and embarrassment is not something that will go away just because they say he shouldn't feel that way. He's been feeling out of control for over eleven weeks now. Ever since the control of his life was taken out of his hands by those men coming to his house and knocking him out. He knows that he was severely injured in the plane crash and his wandering through the jungle. But ever since he was found his friends and doctors were always around him, making decisions for him. Putting him under security detail and staying with him whenever possible. He is just sick of it. Sick of not being in control.


	6. Chapter 6 The big escape

_**Thank you all so much for reading and all your nice comments. If you won't allow private messaging I can't thank you personally, so for all of you, thank you.**_

_**Now on with the story.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 - The big escape<strong>

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

Cath and Danny are both dozing in their chairs when Steve comes back. They are more than a little surprised when they see that he is laying on a gurney with his leg highly elevated. But he is awake and grins at them. He is either on the really good drugs or he is feeling a lot better. To transfer to his bed he simply gets off the gurney and hops over to the bed on one leg before anyone can actually do anything about it. The nurse helps him settle comfortably in bed with his leg again elevated on the pillow and folded blanket.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, remember what the doc said, no hopping around until morning."

"Yeah yeah I stay in bed."

The nurse is pushing the now empty gurney out of the room and leaves them alone.

"Hey are you okay, what did they do," Danny is inspecting the ankle that looks a lot less swollen but is now sporting a huge band aid.

"I'm fine, doesn't hurt much anymore. After the PT more and more fluid gathered around the ankle. That pressed on a nerve and every time I moved my ankle that nerve got pinched. Or something like that, didn't really understand everything, he was moving my ankle while he explained it, I thought I'd pass out. Anyway they pulled all the fluid out and now it's not hurting much anymore," he is smiling at his friends, the discomfort he feels he can easily live with. "He said he's going to take a look at it again in the morning and I should stay off the foot for another day, but after that I should be fine."

"Why didn't they see that when you came back here on Wednesday," Cath is thinking why her friend needed to be in pain needlessly for a whole day.

"I don't know. I think that doctor didn't take me too seriously, he said it's normal that it hurts and it will get better. He actually said I just need to toughen up a bit," he is now openly grinning at them.

"Toughen up? Well I like to have a word with that man," Cath can hardly believe what she is hearing, but Steve seems to take it with humor.

"Listen guys why don't you go home and pick me up in the morning. I'm really tired and I'm sure you are too."

"Yeah I'm going to head out, Cath you coming?"

She is not sure if she wants to leave him but gets the feeling that Steve likes to have some alone time. "Yeah I'm coming." She bends down and gives Steve a very promising kiss. "Sweet dreams, we see you in the morning."

"Yeah thank you. Danny thanks for the meds and the clothes."

"Sure no problem, you behave yourself here. See you tomorrow, well actually today."

It takes another minute but finally Steve is alone. It is almost two a.m. now and even though he told his friends that he is really tired he is not actually. He just wanted them to leave. His humiliation and embarrassment is not something that will go away just because they say he shouldn't feel that way. He's been feeling out of control for over eleven weeks now. Ever since the control of his life was taken out of his hands by those men coming to his house and knocking him out. He knows that he was severely injured in the plane crash and his wandering through the jungle. But ever since he was found his friends and doctors were always around him, making decisions for him. Putting him under security detail and staying with him whenever possible. He is just sick of it. Sick of not being in control.

Losing control over his body like that hours ago in the office was just the last straw and he can't take it anymore. He can't take it anymore to be coop up in this hospital, surrounded by worried friends who are looking at him in pity. He loves them deeply, he loves Catherine more than he loved anyone before, but he just wants to get away. To be the hell alone for at least a while. He checks his black box and sees that there are only two syringes left in it, so that means he needs to stop at HQ to get the last one from the fridge, with that one and the two he still has that would mean he could stay away from home until eight pm.

He feels like his life is slipping out of his hands like he is not making the decisions about his life anymore. And that has to stop. Has to stop right now. So he swings his legs out of the bed and grabs the duffel bag Danny brought earlier. _Thanks my friend_, he slips into the bathroom and out of the hospital issued pj's he is wearing since he came here in the early evening. Getting dressed in fresh clothes is slow going his knee is not so happy to get bend at all. His ankle hurts a lot more now clad in socks and a boot, but he just ignores it. He is getting out of the bathroom glad in his usual attire of cargos, t-shirt, shirt and boots. Since it hurts to put his full weight on his leg he grabs his crutches and peeks out of his room. Luck will have it that the nurse's station is at the other end of the ward and the stairs are right across his room. It takes him only a few seconds to disappear through the door.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day _(16 weeks after the crash)_**

"Danny are you cold," Steve is sure that he saw his friend just shivering a little.

"It's getting a little fresh don't you think?"

"Come here, you're moving too much. You use up too much energy and because of that lose body heat, turn around," with that he gets Danny close to him and gets, in one swift motion, his legs up so that they are both almost horizontal on the water opposed to how Danny 'hang' in it a few seconds ago. "Cross your arms over your chest and lay your head back against me and just relax."

Danny has no idea how Steve is doing it but he feels warmer almost instantly, it's almost like he is out of the water. The sun is warming him up from above and Steve seems to be a real furnace from below. He wonders how he can be so warm without almost any body fat on him. And how he manages to lift him so very high up that his body is not submerge under the water line. "How the hell do you do that?"

"Just enjoy it as long as it lasts I can't keep this up for long," Steve's speech seems strained.

"Hey you okay," Danny is trying to get a look at his friend.

"Hold still. I'm fine, now shut up."

"Why can't I talk?"

"Because you disrupt the balance with your irregular breathing. We can't talk if you like to stay like this and get warm, so please just shut up for a few minutes," Steve is trying very hard to keep his friend mostly out of the water so that the sun can have some effect on him, but he knows that he won't be able to keep this up for long. His ribs are already screaming at him and making breathing a little more painful with the passing of the minutes. His ankle, knee and his lower back are not happy with the strenuous activity he is doing either. He thinks that he might be able to hold Danny up for another five minutes before he will sink down further. But that should be enough to at least restore some body heat in his friend. He is used to this kind of conditions and is not starting to get cold yet. Hypothermia is quite a bit away for him but Danny might get that way sooner. They are lucky that they are in pretty warm water, this would not be called cold water condition in any SEAL's book, but if they stay in it long enough they will get cold, well Danny will first. "How you're doing partner, getting a bit warmer?"

"I thought no talking?"

"Well a yes or no is not talking," Steve smiles to himself, seems that Danny is listening to him for a change.

"Yes."

"Good."

They fall silent again for a few more minutes until Steve speaks up again, "Danny I'm sorry but I need to let go." He does and Danny sinks below the surface again and can finally take a look at Steve who just turns around and throws up again. Since there is no more food in him he only manages some dry heaves that let him sink below the surface. But this time it's Danny again who grabs him and keeps him in a secure position against his chest until his retching stops. He coughs a few times and lays his head back against Danny, exhausted from being sick and keeping Danny above the water.

"I hope you don't expect me to get you out of the water, because if you do, dream on SEAL," Danny grabs him a little tighter since Steve is not making any move to get away from him, which worries Danny. "Hey you okay?"

Instead of an answer he gets some more coughing and groaning from his partner.

"Steve you with me?"

"Yeah I'm okay just give me a minute, need to catch my breath," Steve is trying to calm his breathing some more, not easy with ribs that are not just uncomfortable anymore but are really starting to hurt. All his retching was not really that great for his obviously bruised ribs. After a minute he calms down and faces his friend again.

"You feel a bit warmer?"

"Yeah I do but I guess it won't last that long."

"No it won't and it's more in your head than in your actual body. But it will help you for a while. I'm sorry but I can't do it again."

"That's okay Steve they will find us soon, won't they?"

"I'm sure we don't have to wait much longer," Steve hopes that he is not lying, because he knows that the few minutes out of the water did not much for Danny's body temperature and it will only be a matter of time before he will start to get the first signs of hypothermia.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

Steve is holding his crutches in his right hand while hopping down the stairs on his left leg. He carefully keeps his balance by holding on to the railing since he really doesn't want to end up falling down the stairs. He makes pretty good time down the three floors and there are only some small shots of pain through his belly from the hopping down the stairs. His lower abdomen is still very sensitive to the touch and sometimes it causes him some pain to sit down for too long a time. That part of his anatomy really takes a long time to heal and he is actually amazed that the bruises are still somewhat visible. Last night's lovemaking hurt more than he told Catherine, he almost cried out when her knee was accidently pressed into his belly for a second. He can't even remember how it ended up there he can only remember the blinding pain that was chiming in into the throbbing from his ankle that got aggravated by their acrobatics. But still it was a great night and he is really happy that they are finally able to even have sex again, so he is not complaining about some discomfort. Okay some 'pain', but still he takes that over the frustration of the weeks before their first love making after the crash. Those were really miserable weeks, for the both of them. He got really pissed at his body that was not willing to comply with his wishes. And when he could bring his body to react he was in such pain that it made it unbearable to finish, he doesn't think that he ever took as many cold showers as in those weeks.

He reaches the ground floor and peeks out the door; the exit to the hospital is really close so it should not be a problem to reach it without incident. He is just about to step out when he spots Mark Hope. _Shit_. But it seems that luck is on his side again, because he moves away from him and obviously didn't see him. The way to the exit is now clear and he makes his way out of the hospital using his crutches to keep his foot from touching the ground. It takes only a minute to get a cap to take him to Five-0 HQ. Arriving there he tells the driver to wait for him. Again he takes the elevator to their floor and carefully makes his way into the semi darkness of their offices. He hesitates a moment in front of his office not willing or ready to face the mess that he made. He gingerly opens the door and is surprised that he is not assaulted by a foul smell.

Encouraged by that he opens the door to a squeaky clean office. No doubt that he again has to thank his friend for that. He makes his way over to the little fridge and takes out the last syringe and stores it in his black box. Next he grabs his gun and badge out of the box in his desk where he put it yesterday and clips it to his belt.

He quickly makes his way out of the office and stops for a moment at Danny's office putting a note on his desk.

His way out of the office only takes a few minutes. He shortly debates what to do next, something he didn't really thought through when he left the hospital. _Great planning McGarrett_. When he was in his office he grabbed his spare keys for his truck and thinks if he can risk it to get his truck. He knows it should not be parked in the driveway but on the street, where he left it the last time he used it. It is unlikely that Cath has moved it. He gives the driver the address and they are on their way.

It takes them only a short while to get to his house and after he pays his cab fare he shortly debates to just enter his home. He feels kind of guilty for just disappearing on his friends like this, but he really 'needs' to get away or he will just go stir crazy. And no JoJo or Catherine or Danny with his hovering will prevent that. He 'needs' to be alone.

He enters his car and stores the crutches for later use, since he won't be able to walk without them. His ankle and even more so his knee started to hurt again when he was at the office. _Now what?_ He still has no idea where to go to. But he just starts the car and pulls away from the curb in the hope that he will figure out where to go when he drives along.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p>AN: What Steve did with Danny, getting him above the water is normally not possible, because you have no leverage in the water and you can't defy the laws of physics. Try it and you will see that you will not get your partner for more than a second above the water. BUT when I was getting my license to be a lifeguard many many years back, we had a teacher who could do that. It was the most amazing feeling when he was doing it. He could not explain how he did it and none of us was ever able to do it. So I thought if that normal guy could do such an amazing thing, Steve can do it as well.

Thanks again for reading and as always a little sneak peek into Steve's adventurous day. ;-)

**Chapter 7 – AWOL**

_Just great_! Patience is something that Steve could use right about now. He is on a small path to one of his favorite spots on the island when his truck dies on him. In the middle of nowhere; with no cellphone and not a soul within a two mile radius. At least two miles probably more like three or four. Well his truck didn't exactly die on him, he drove into a ditch. Some idiotic mountain-biker was suddenly heading right into him, if he didn't drive on to the side of the path that stupid guy would be dead by now. Unfortunately the side of the road was not made for a heavy car like Steve's and before he knew it his truck was lying more on its side than standing on its wheels about ten yard below the road. Of course the biker didn't even stop for a second to check if anyone was hurt.


	7. Chapter 7 AWOL

**Chapter 7 - AWOL**

**Five weeks ago **_**(83 days after the crash)**_

It is a few minutes past six a.m. when Danny Williams gets a phone call from the hospital to come there immediately. A call to Cath tells him that she also was informed to get to the hospital as soon as possible and that she is already on her way. A short time later they meet in front of the entrance.

"Danny did they tell you anything?"

"No they only said to get here, they wouldn't tell me anything."

It takes them a few minutes to get to the third floor where they are greeted by an angry looking Mark Hope.

"Mark did something happen to Steve," Cath came up with all kind of scenarios while she was driving over here, but she didn't come up with the one they are about to learn.

"You tell me. He is gone," Dr. Hope does not just look angry he also sounds angry. Very angry.

"What do you mean he is gone?"

"Exactly what I'm saying Detective. Your friend sneaked-out-of-the-hospital-at-2:05-a.m.-hailed-a-cab-and-was-never-to-be-seen gone."

"You're kidding me."

"NO, come with me," he turns and marches to the elevator that brings them to the first floor where their security offices are located. They enter an office with at least a dozen screens. They can see almost every part of the hospital. They already know this room from the kidnaping weeks ago.

"Peter will you show us the tape again please," a young man who looks like he is just out of school, which he actually is, he is making some money at night while he just started his study of medicine.

"Yes of course," he indicate one of the screens and they can see an empty stairwell, but a few seconds later Steve enters, leans against the door, takes his crutches in one hand and skips down the stairs on one leg. They can see that the angle of the camera changes a few times until he reaches the ground floor where he rests a few moments leaning on his crutches before he carefully opens the door. But just a second later he closes it again, leans against the door and everyone can read lips if it is such an easy word that is spoken.

"I was down there at that time," Hope informs them.

The tape changes angle again when Steve leaves the stairwell and crosses the hall to the exit using his crutches. They can clearly see how he gets into a cab and is gone.

"I don't believe this. Where the hell does he think he is going? Why did he leave the hospital," Danny is angry now too.

"I think it got too much for him. All of it. I think he just wants to be alone for a while. When we left I had the feeling that he was really glad that we were leaving, but I didn't actually think that he would run," Cath is now speaking up and she is the only one that is calm.

"Why the hell does he want to be alone?"

"Danny think about it. Steve is kind of a control freak, you know that. He lost control over his life when they took him out of his home, ever since then he didn't really got it back. And yesterday he even lost control in the worst way, his body betrayed him. I think he needs this."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Oh I'm worried, but I know that he can take care of himself. He will come back when he is ready undoubtably feeling guilty for running like this, but I'm sure that is exactly what he needed. Mark I'm sorry that he ran out on you like that."

"He cannot just leave the hospital, he is my patient, and I'm responsible for him."

"Would you like me to sign him out AMA?"

Mark Hope grumbles something that Cath is glad not to understand, but she smiles at him and he finally calms down a bit, "Sign the papers and make sure that he is not missing his injections, he only had two left, only one now."

"I'm pretty sure he restocked," she is now grinning about her 'idiotic' boyfriend who just went AWOL.

Cath signs the discharge papers in Steve's name and calms down the orthopedic surgeon who wanted to take another look at Steve's ankle. She promises him that she will personally take him to see him again. It takes them almost an hour to finally leave the hospital. Their next stop is HQ where they know that Steve went after they talked to the cab driver they found thanks to his registration.

And as predicted the last syringe is missing. In Danny's office they find the note on his desk. Not much on it: I'm fine, DON'T come looking – Steve. And a lot smaller: I'm sorry.

"Damn, now what are we gonna do?"

"We wait," Cath is looking like that would be obvious.

"No I'm not just waiting, I need to know that he is okay. I cannot just sit here and wait for him to come back. That idiot is a danger to himself. He only has enough syringes to hold until three pm"

"Danny listen to yourself, we're not talking about a kid that's gone missing, this is a SEAL. He can take care of himself. He is a little hurt, but trust me Danny he was fighting in war with lot more serious injuries than a bum leg. He is fine. You need to relax. Besides I think I know where he is."

"What? Let's go."

"No. Danny leave it please. Steve needs this, don't go after him, please respect his wish."

"Aren't you at least a little mad at him to leave like that? Aren't you worried that something might happen out there?"

"Out there Danny? He is not in a war zone, he is on Oahu, probably sitting on some beach with a six-pack of beer or something. I think we smothered him a bit with our worry. Don't get me wrong he enjoys his TLC but I think we should have stepped back a bit more after he was better. With making decisions for him and shielding him from everything especially at work we took the control out of his hand. He is not some helpless sick person, he is a SEAL on the mend. And believe me he was very patient with us," she is now openly smiling at Danny.

"Yeah he kind of was," he knows that he worried a bit too much lately. That he tried to shield Steve from most everything. Danny only realizes now that there is a difference between ‚left alone' and ‚wanting some space'. He left Steve alone quite often, mostly at work but he also hovered over his friend excessively at times. He realizes that he made decision for Steve without even telling him, he was always the one to decide when to stick to Steve and when to leave him. Steve never had a choice in the matter. No wonder that he wants to decide for himself for once. But realizing that still doesn't calm his anger much.

H50 – H50 – H50

_Just great_! Patience is something that Steve could use right about now. He is on a small path to one of his favorite spots on the island when his truck dies on him. In the middle of nowhere; with no cellphone and not a soul within a two mile radius. At least two miles probably more like three or four. Well his truck didn't exactly die on him, he drove into a ditch. Some idiotic mountain-biker was suddenly heading right into him, if he didn't drive on to the side of the path that stupid guy would be dead by now. Unfortunately the side of the road was not made for a heavy car like Steve's and before he knew it his truck was lying more on its side than standing on its wheels about ten yard below the road. Of course the biker didn't even stop for a second to check if anyone was hurt.

Steve is cursing when he makes his way out of his vehicle that is now decorated with all kind of brush and dirt. _Well at least I'm not hurt_, that thought only holds until he puts his foot down. That reminds him in no uncertain terms of his injured leg. Maybe he did hit his knee against something because it hurts like crazy. Which reminds him that it was not such a good idea to leave his crutches in the truck, now he actually has to climb back into to retrieve them. Which he manages with a lot of grunting, cursing and even the odd cry of pain here and there. But finally he got his two crutches and stands again outside his truck that is idly lying on the passenger side. He is just ready to make his way up to the road when his watch starts beeping. So he sits down and gets one of the two syringes out that are left. He cleans a patch of skin on his abdomen and injects his medication. The pain that assaults him is extreme and he instantly knows that he will get really sick this time. He curls in on himself and waits for the burning sensation from his navel all the way down to his groin to subside. Takes forever, probably just a minute but it leaves him breathless. The dizziness is to follow and he is glad that he is already on the ground. No way that he would be able to stand right now, he can already feel that he will get sick in the next minute. And he doesn't have to wait long for the nausea to get so severe that he can't keep his breakfast from just over an hour ago in any longer. He gets violently sick but can avoid getting anything on himself. Even after he threw up the nausea is not abating nor is the dizziness. Last time this happened he was sick for hours and unable to leave the bed other than to throw up repeatedly. That was just a bit over twenty four hours ago.

This is not how he pictured his alone-time to be. Lying in the jungle and being sick as a dog. _So much for controlling your life_, he laughs at that thought. Well at least he had some great hours; he watched a beautiful sunrise and had a great breakfast with Kamekona without any spam. The smell of his own vomit makes him puke again and the rest of his pancakes are soon decorating the ground.

He starts to move away from the mess but is still not able to get up, so he just settles back down a few yards from the puddles of vomit. He is glad that he bought some bottles of water, but he can't move to get his backpack without falling back down. The dizziness is still hitting him hard. He is now cursing that he left his phone in the office that was a really stupid move. He should have taken it with him. But maybe it's better this way, now he has to get out of this by himself, maybe just what he needed. Well seems like his leg is not thinking along that line, his knee is bothering him a great deal when he stretches his legs out. He knows that the joint is not injured and that the pain is caused by the bad bruising but that doesn't make it hurt less. He was supposed to keep his leg elevated with a cool compress on it, not running around so that the swelling and the pooling of blood can get worse. He is silently swearing some more and wishes for the nausea and dizziness to leave him.

An hour later he is still lying curled on his side and feels really sick. He is now seriously questioning his decision of needing some alone time. If he hadn't left the hospital in the middle of the night he would probably still be feeling like death warmed over but at least he would be lying in a soft bed and being able to sleep it off. Instead he lies in the jungle next to his almost overturned car; sick and miserable and in pain from his bum knee. He groans when the nausea gets worse and the dizziness intensifies to a level that he is feeling himself fainting. _Just great!_

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>So Steve are we having fun yet? Well be patient, day's not over yet. LOL <strong>_

_**If you like to know how Steve gets home and what is happening along the way, well just tune in again.**_

_**Thanks again for reading.**_

**Chapter 8 - Coming Home**

The living room in Steve's house looks like a waiting area, Cath is sitting on the couch but is looking every minute at her watch. Danny is pacing again and Chin and Kono are in the kitchen making the next batch of coffee. It's seven thirty pm and they all know that time is running out. Steve needs to come home in the next half hour or he will miss his next injection.

Kono and Chin were shocked when they learned what happened yesterday in the office, that they were so close to their downed friend without knowing that he was in dire distress.

It's a quarter to eight when the doorbell rings, Kono is closest and opens the door to reveal something none of them will forget anytime soon.


	8. Chapter 8 Coming home

**Chapter 8 - Coming Home**

The living room in Steve's house looks like a waiting area, Cath is sitting on the couch but is looking every minute at her watch. Danny is pacing again and Chin and Kono are in the kitchen making the next batch of coffee. It's seven thirty pm and they all know that time is running out. Steve needs to come home in the next half hour or he will miss his next injection.

Kono and Chin were shocked when they learned what happened yesterday in the office, that they were so close to their downed friend without knowing that he was in dire distress.

It's a quarter to eight when the doorbell rings, Kono is closest and opens the door to reveal something none of them will forget anytime soon. In front of the door are two Police Officers, left and right of Steve who has both his arms over their shoulders. The trio enters and now they get a good look at Steve. He is soaking wet, his clothes look like he crawled thru the mud, evidence of a nose bleed is still to see and at some point during the day the cut on his forehead was obviously bleeding. He only has one boot on and his bare foot is carefully kept above the ground. His cargos have seen better days, the knees are torn and bloody as are parts of his shirt. But the really disturbing part of all is Steve who is grinning like an idiot.

His friends are too speechless to say anything right away.

"Sir are you all right now or would you like us to help you with anything else?"

"No Officer thank you I'm fine. Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome Sir. Can you come by on Monday and give your official statement?"

"Yes of course. I'll stop by in the morning."

"Thank you Sir. And thanks again for saving our buds, without you we'd be dead now. When you came out of nowhere and took them down, that. . .well thank you."

"That's okay, you did pretty good on your own. Can you please see that I get my car back?"

"Yes Sir of course. You know if it's still running? You said you overturned?"

"I have no idea what the damage is and I didn't overturn it just lies on the side."

"Well Sir we make sure that you will get it back in the morning. Thanks again and have a good night Sir."

While Kono closes the door after the two officers left, Danny is the first to speak up, "what the heck happened to you? We're the hell have you been?"

"Not now Danny, I need a shower first," but he is not hopping up the stairs but to the kitchen to get his medication. Still a few minutes till his next injection.

"Where are your crutches?"

"Lost them," he is back out of the kitchen with a wrapped syringe between his teeth and uses both his arms to help himself up the stairs and is gone into his bedroom before they can even realize what just happened.

Steve closes the door behind him and hops right into the bathroom and actually locks the door. He gets rid of his wet clothes, not that easy to get out of the completely soaked stuff. He gets the water running and balances on one leg under the warm spray, he only stays for less than a minute, he needed to wash all the dirt off his body before he can inject his medication. He doesn't want to risk infection from all the sod on his abdomen, no alcohol wipe would have gotten that cleaned. He injects the drug into his system and breathes through the pain while he is sitting down into the shower stall; he is freezing but he is not getting back under the warm spray. He knows that actively warming his body with an outside heat source will only decrease the amount of shivering and slows the rate of core temperature increase. He needs to get warm with some warm clothes and fluids.

He dries himself off and leaves the bathroom to get dressed in warm sweatpants and a long sleeved sweatshirt. He debates for a minute to get down to his friends again or to crawl into his bed that is calling to him so loudly that it is really hard to ignore. But he knows that they are dying to know what happened, so his friends win over his bed.

H50 – H50 – H50

"What's taking him so long," they heard the shower being turned off rather quickly. Danny is getting restless and wants to take a look, but Cath is keeping him from it.

"I'll check on him, you stay here."

She enters the bedroom and is smiling when she sees why Steve is not back down yet. He is sitting on the bed and is just putting some socks on or at least tries to. His left foot is already clad with a soft white sock but he can't seem to bend down to get it on his right one. He throws the sock away in frustration and just lets himself fall back on the bed.

Catherine is stepping close to him and looks down at Steve who lies with his eyes closed but is obviously not asleep. When the bed dips down when she is crawling on the bed and just straddles him, he looks up at her in surprise.

"Hey sailor," she bents completely down, puts her hands next to his head and gives him a proper 'welcome home'.

Steve is eagerly responding to such a nice and warm welcome, Cath feels really nice on him and he can't suppress the light shudder that is running through his body. He is not sure anymore if that is still from the cold or from Catherine who is now pressing against his body in a very arousing way. He moans into the kiss when she shifts some more and wiggles her way a little more down his body. He is very surprised that his body is reacting so strongly and fast to the contact, a minute ago he was ready to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, and now he wants nothing more than to find release to the sweet torture his girlfriend is just subjecting him to when her hand travels under the waistband of his boxers. All the while she is kissing him wildly and has her other hand in his hair. Just when he thinks he can't take it anymore without getting the clothes out of the way she pushes herself up, sits back and make him moan even louder when she settles down on his lap.

"We can't do this right now, your team is waiting for you. Come on let's go," with that she hops off the bed.

"What? Are you kidding me," Steve pants out. He is in no shape to go anywhere, next thing he knows is Cath sitting next to him again.

"Steve I'm sorry I didn't mean to take it this far. Are you all right," she is kissing him gently in the hope not to do more 'damage'.

"Urgh, no. I'm not all right. What the hell was that," he is now curling in on himself in the hope to lessen the now almost painful pressure that is still building and waits for some kind of release. "You get me going like that and just leave me to my own devices?"

"I'm sorry I had no idea you would react so strongly to some kissing," she now grins at him.

"Your hand was not kissing me," he tells her accusingly but can't keep the laugh out of his voice.

"Yeah well, so what do we do about it, seems that a cold shower is out of the question since you're already really cold. We need to get you warmed up."

"Oh I think you already did a pretty good job with that," Steve says between some deep breaths. He is still lying curled on his side and looks like he is falling asleep any second now.

Cath gets up from the bed and retrieves his discarded sock and carefully puts it on his foot, but Steve still winces some when she moves his foot while doing it.

"Catherine?"

"Yeah," she knows that whenever he uses her full name he's very serious about something.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left like that," he speaks very softly but looks at her with such intensity that even the little bit of anger she was going to address later flies out the window.

She feels nothing but love for this man who opened up to her in such a way that she never ever thought possible. He tells her how he feels and shares his most inner thoughts with her, she is almost honored that she is the one whose help he is accepting. That she is the one he let in. He can be so closed off, so strong and independent, but he opened his heart and his soul to her. And that feeling is almost overwhelming.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're back and nothing happened."

"Well 'nothing' might not be the right word," Steve rather sheepishly admits.

"Okay let's get downstairs and you can tell us all about your adventurous day 'out there'."

"Out there," Steve looks at her questionably while he is getting up from the bed with Cath's help.

When she has him standing up she can feel him shivering again, "Danny's words. Steve you're still really cold, maybe you should lie in bed and not get downstairs."

"No I'm fine, just need something to drink and a blanket or someone warm next to me. Someone who can keep her hands at bay, maybe I should ask Kono," he is now grinning at her until he gets hit on the arm, "Hey that hurts."

"Yeah right, come on put your arm around me and let's go."

Steve can't hop anymore, his energy is draining fast, so he leans on Cath and puts a little weight on his leg. They make it out the door but it is a painful and slow process.

"Danny, Chin can you help us up here," Cath calls out to the two Five-0 members who are still patiently waiting for Steve to tell them what happened. They are up the stairs and in front of them in no time and take over Cath's precious cargo.

With Chin and Danny on either side Steve doesn't need to put his foot down, for what his knee is extremely grateful. They make it down the stairs and carefully settle Steve on the couch where a pillow is already waiting for him on the couch-table. They help him settle his leg gently on it and Danny ask him if he likes an ice pack, but since Steve's body temperature still needs to rise a little he declines.

Kono is back from the kitchen with some hot fruit tea and Cath is tucking a blanket around him. Steve is still shivering when Catherine is taking his temperature with the ear thermometer. "96.6 well that's just on the border to hypothermia, you need to get warmed up some more. I'm going to get another blanket for your legs." She is back just a minute later and drapes the second blanket over him.

"So Steve tell us how was your day off," everyone can hear the underlying anger in Danny's question.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Hey Danny did I ever thank you for what you did for us when I was released from the hospital," Steve can see that his friend is getting colder, he figures that he needs to keep him thinking about something else than the cold that is slowly creeping up on them.

"What do you mean?"

"Your sweet gift."

"Ah come on I don't do 'sweet' gifts. That was all Gracie, 'I' had nothing to do with that," Danny cannot allow that anyone thinks that he is sweet, not even his best friend, but he is smiling when he says it.

"Yeah right."

**14 **_**weeks ago (18 days after the crash)**_

_Steve would never have thought that being out of his bed and sitting in a car for half an hour could hurt this much. His arm, ribs, hip and belly are killing him, he has the suspicion that Danny tries to hit every damn pothole on the island. When they hit the next one he can't keep the soft cry of pain in any longer._

"_Steve you okay?"_

"_Do you have to hit every damn pothole at full speed?"_

"_What?"_

"_Can you please slow down, you're killing me here," Steve leans forward as far as his seatbelt __allows it, effectively taking the pressure off his ribs and belly._

_Danny looks at his friend and uses the next possibility to stop the car, he is out of it and at the passenger side before Steve can even say anything._

"_Steve, come on man are you okay," Danny is crouching down next to his friend who seems to be in __serious pain._

"_I'm fine. It's just that sitting like this and the seatbelt is really hurting my hip and belly. Before we left I had a coughing fit and now my ribs are not very happy. They gave me a shot for some congestion in my lung, I'm coughing like crazy since yesterday. It hurts," and just to give more weight to his words he starts to cough again. Sounds like really dry and painful hacking._

"_We just wait a few minutes for you to feel better. It's not far any more, maybe five more minutes."_

_Steve is now sitting back and looks at Danny with a pained expression, "Thanks for driving me home. That part of your 'security detail'?"_

"_Yeah, you don't think I would pick you up if it were not in my job description, do you," Danny is grinning at his friend who seems to get at least a little color back, "You ready to go on?"_

"_Yeah I'm better let's keep going."_

_They make the last stretch home in just under ten minutes since this time Danny is very watchful about how he is driving. Parking in the driveway Danny is helping his hurt friend out the car and holds on to him until he finds his balance._

"_Can you use your crutch or do you want to go in without it," he is holding up the one crutch they gave Steve to use so that he doesn't need to put his full weight on his leg._

_Danny watches Steve when he carefully makes his way up to the front of his house. He seems pretty stable on his feet and doesn't need any help. They are welcomed by Cath at the door who is giving Steve a sweet kiss before she takes his crutch away and winks him in to the house without answering his unasked question. She doesn't have to because as soon as he steps in he is almost assaulted by Grace who practically runs into him and almost knocks him over._

"_Uncle Steve! I was so scared for you," she hugs him fiercely at his waist, which seriously hurts him but he just doesn't care. He hugs her back a bit clumsily with just one arm._

"_Gracie! I'm okay. Don't be scared. Can you let go a little?"_

"_Did I hurt you?"_

"_No Gracie it's fine. Thank you for all your great pictures, that was really nice of you."_

"_You're welcome Uncle Steve. Can I help you sit on the couch, you can lean on me," she offers her shoulder to him and they make their way over to the couch where Steve gratefully sits down. Grace carefully puts his leg up and places a pillow under it, all the while the grownups are watching her with amusement while she is taking care of her uncle Steve. When she is done she whispers something in his ear._

"_Okay I'll wait here," Steve smiles at her._

_It takes her a minute to be back with a colorful giftwrapped packet the size of a big envelope. She is beaming at him when she gives the gift to him._

"_What's this?"_

"_It's for you and Catherine. A welcome gift. Danno helped with it."_

"_Oh he did," he looks at Danny who is looking everywhere but him._

_He carefully opens the wrapping, to reveal a framed picture. He looks in total surprise at Danny who is actually blushing a little._

"_When did you. . .," Steve is looking at the picture and has to smile. Cath is taking a look and also can't keep the smile off her face. It's the picture his team took after Cath spent the night at the hospital and they woke up in bed together._

"_You two look so happy, relaxed and cute in it, we thought it will remind you that not everything at the hospital was bad. And that you got out of it in one piece with a really great woman at your side."_

"_Thank you Danny, this is really great."_

_Cath is giving him a really sweet kiss on the cheek and a big hug, "Thanks Danny."_

"_Okay listen I have to take Grace back to her mum, but I will be back later with the team and dinner. If you're up to it."_

"_Yeah that's fine."_

"_Okay see you later. Your NI buddies are outside and Chin and Kono will be here in a few minutes. Call me if you need anything. Cath will show you the 'modifications' of the house."_

"_Modifications?"_

"_Chin and Kono at work, they were driving me nuts. See you two later. Grace come on or we'll be late."_

**Present day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"How did you get Rachel to let Grace see me, I thought she didn't want Grace near me while the kidnappers were still out there."

"That was just her reaction after she heard how badly hurt you were, she came to her senses right before you were released. Called me and said it would be okay that Grace was to see you whenever she wanted. I think Grace was driving her completely nuts. Every second word was Uncle Steve, so finally she relented."

"Yeah your daughter is kind of relentless, like her father."

"Yeez thank you partner."

"You're welcome."

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Guess you have to wait another day to find out about Steve's day 'out there'.<strong>_

_**Thank you all for reading. Drop me a line I would love to know what you think.**_

_**Here we go with a little peak into the next one.**_

**Chapter 9 – Steve's story**

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

Steve is slowly feeling a little warmer, the shivering is only an occasional occurrence now. With the warmth is also the tiredness creeping up in his body, he can feel every single bone and muscle, he feels sore from head to toe. His ankle and knee are throbbing wildly and he really wishes he stayed in bed and just went to sleep instead of coming down here; the thought of going back up at some point later makes him decide to sleep on the couch this night.


	9. Chapter 9 Steve's Story

**Chapter 9 – Steve's story**

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

Steve is slowly feeling a little warmer, the shivering is only an occasional occurrence now. With the warmth is also the tiredness creeping up in his body, he can feel every single bone and muscle, he feels sore from head to toe. His ankle and knee are throbbing wildly and he really wishes he stayed in bed and just went to sleep instead of coming down here; the thought of going back up at some point later makes him decide to sleep on the couch this night.

"Steve would you like another tea?"

"Thanks Kono that would be nice."

"Would you like something for the 'discomfort' you're obviously in," Danny is looking at his friend, anyone can see that he is not feeling well and his ankle and knee are probably killing him.

"No I can't take anything that's not approved by Dr. Hope, OTC meds would mess with my medication and I lost my prescription pain killers," Steve looks at his friend and silently thanks him for asking.

"Even more reason why you cannot just disappear like that. Do you have any idea how worried we were? What the hell were you thinking," Danny is trying very hard to keep his voice down.

"I'm sorry I made you worry. That was not my intention Danny. I just, I just needed some space," Steve looks at his friend and hopes that he understands and to his surprise he drops it.

"Hmmmm just tell us what happened after you got your car," Danny is not happy but he can clearly see that Steve didn't mean to cause them any stress; that he just needed to be alone for a while, something he can understand.

_**Same day about 9 **__**h**__**ours ago – 11.30 am**_

Steve becomes slowly aware that he is lying on the ground and obviously passed out at some point, but one look at his watch shows him that it was just for under a minute. _Great now you don't 'pass out', now you're 'fainting'._ _Just great._ But at least the nausea abated somewhat and he doesn't feel dizzy anymore. He struggles to get his backpack and thinks about how to get up the ravine best. On his crutches is completely out of the question. That won't work. He can't crawl either, his knee is screaming at him already, every little pressure on the place right under his kneecap lets him see stars.

It takes him almost ten minutes to get those ten yards up to the road. _A yard a minute, wow wouldn't have a chance against a snail._ But finally he is back on the road and makes his way back down to the main road. After only a couple hundred yards he needs to take a break, he had no idea how hard it is to walk with crutches on a dirt road. He used crutches before so he is pretty good with them but on the uneven ground that is very different to a street or indoors. He lost his balance a couple a times and his ankle is really not glad about that. Last he checked it looked swollen again.

After he manages the first mile he is completely soaked in sweat, he is sure that his shoulders are falling off any minute now and his left arm is starting to hurt. He started to put a little weight on his leg a while back to relieve a little bit of the stress on his arms and his wrists. Of course now his knee is starting to really act up, he can't stretch it out anymore.

He knows that he would normally not have such problems with the injuries of his knee and ankle, but the drug he is taking for the last weeks is causing him to feel not really fit. He is always feeling a little unwell, he gets tired real quick. In general he feels a bit like crap and slowly it's getting to him. Mark Hope told him that he is still suffering the consequences of his severe head injury. He is just pondering the truth of that statement when his foot catches on a little stone and sends him flying to the ground. He lets go of the crutches to soften the fall, but it's way too late for that, he crashes down on both his knees, successfully ripping his pants and scraping his knees, sending an unbelievable pain through his right knee that only gets topped when the wind gets knocked out of him when his upper body impacts on the ground. Somehow he doesn't manage to use his arms to stop his fall and so he hits the gravel with his head, causing his nose to start bleeding and his vision to get a little gray at the edges when his head hits the ground.

He is lying on the dirt road and is trying to come up with a really good reason why he left the soft hospital bed. For the life of him he can't come up with a good enough reason to endure all this. He slowly gets rid of his backpack and turns on his back and looks at the sun that is shining down on him, but he can already see the dark clouds full of rain. It will not take more than maybe twenty minutes before this road will be one hell of a mudslide. He starts to laugh at his luck today, he really is getting the full program for his money.

He slowly sits up pleasantly surprised that he is not getting dizzy but is a bit concerned that his head hurts a little. He decides to rest a little longer and uses his backpack to lean against it. It's about another half hour until his next injection. It took him more than two hours to walk that one mile. With that speed he will not make it home in time for his injection at eight pm. He needs to find a phone and get help. But not right away, first he needs to close his eyes for just a few minutes, the need to sleep is overwhelming, also a byproduct of the drug. Dr. Hope told him that he will not be able to fight the sleep his body needs and so far he was never able to stay awake. So he lies back in the hope to hear his alarm when it goes off in a few minutes.

Steve is in luck and does hear his alarm and is able to inject on time. Pain's not too bad this time and the dizziness is short and mild. But his body demands some more minutes of sleep so he zonks out for another half hour. He wakes up to the sensation of getting wet. It started to rain a few minutes ago and now the heaven is really opening all its gates. The rain is coming down hard in big droplets which have Steve soaked in a minute. He is struggling to get up and moves further down the road. That gets more and more difficult with the gravel road slowly turning into a muddy way. Small rivulets are left and right from him and making it really difficult to stay on course.

But that actually is his luck, getting off course, losing his balance and falling head first down next to the road. Everything is soaking wet and so he is sliding down the hill like on a slide in the waterpark. He has no idea how long his journey down the hill takes but it feels like forever, thankfully he is not hitting anything, and it's pretty much straight down. Until he comes to a stop when he crashes into a structure that abruptly stops his decent. It knocks him out cold.

He comes to when he hears shouting coming from the front of the house he obviously crashed into. It seems like some small information center or something like that. Next he can hear shots getting fired, that gets him going, he is on his feet in a second flat and has his gun out and peeks around the corner. His vision is a bit blurry and he needs a few seconds to clear it but what he sees is not good. On the empty small parking lot is a patrol car and behind it are crouching two officers, guns drawn but it is obvious that they are outnumbered and probably out gunned by the three people who are ducking behind a second car that is parked about fifteen yards away from the officers.

He retreats back behind the house and makes his way to the other side, barely able to walk but still ignoring the extreme pain that is shooting up his leg. He can now see the three goons who are hiding behind the big old car, they have automatic weapons and seem ready for a shootout.

He stays behind the corner of the house and only stretches his arm with the gun out, "Five-0, drop your weapon!"

Of course they don't but start to turn his way and one of them takes a shot at him. Steve shoots back and the shooter falls down hit in the shoulder. It's the only shot that he needs to fire, they are giving up right after it.

Steve keeps his gun trained on them until the HPD officers have them in handcuffs, after that he slowly slides down the wall and waits for the officers to get him. The younger one of them is suddenly in front of him.

"Sir are you hurt, did you get hit?"

"No I'm fine but I could use a lift."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve ends his tale and looks into four unbelieving faces.

"Only you can slide down a hill and land in the middle of a firefight," Danny is shaking his head at him, "You sure you didn't get hurt?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just cold and a few new bruises. Can I get some more tea please?"

"Sure boss, be right back."

"Was it worth it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you left the hospital before you were discharged, Dr. Hope is not happy with you by the way, he was really angry and worried, you slipped out and left us in the dark. Anything could have happened, you're a magnet for trouble. You should not be left alone."

"Danny I can take care of myself."

"Oh really? Last time you took care of yourself you ended up on the floor of your office and before that wandering through the jungle with a cracked skull. So excuse me if I think you need supervision."

As soon as he said it Danny knew that he could not have said anything worse. The hurt look Steve is sending his way says more than any words ever could, "I'm sorry Steve that came out wrong, I didn't mean it like that."

"Well lately you seem to say a lot that you don't mean 'like that'. You made it pretty clear in the hospital that you don't see me as a 'victim' here, that you think I am at least partially responsible for what happened to me, to Cath, Philip and that dead cop whose name I still keep forgetting. I get that. And maybe you're right, maybe I should start to think about whose side I'm on. Maybe this is not working out after all," Steve looks with such sadness at his friend that Danny actually gets really worried.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just what you wanted me to do all those weeks ago, to think on which side I am. Of course I need to figure out first what sides there are, but I'm sure I will manage."

"Are you thinking about quitting," Danny is just whispering, thinking that speaking it out loud would make it real.

"I was. For many weeks Danny. I actually came to a conclusion in the last twenty four hours, while I was finally alone for a change. But I have to say you just made me rethink my reasoning for my decision to stay. I'm happy here, I love my job, but lately you make it very hard to love you. Danny I'm not a child, I'm not your responsibility. Your 'hovering' all the time is killing me. You're worse than Cath, please I need my space." Steve is looking in shocked faces, he just revealed a lot more than he wanted to. But he is not willing to discuss it any further, he is not willing to listen to anyone who is telling him what he can do or can't do. And the remark about him losing control in the office really hurt and he just needs to get away. He peels himself out of the blanket and can immediately feel the cold creeping back into him.

"What are you doing," Danny is looking at Steve who is in the obviously very painful process of getting off the couch.

"I'm going to bed, I'm freezing, I feel like shit, my leg is killing me and my friend is accusing me of. . .just leave me the hell alone. All of you," Steve is now almost yelling and he knows that he is just a few seconds from totally losing it. He should shut up before he says something he really regrets. He is now standing in front of the couch, balancing on one leg when the first wave of dizziness hits him, he is swaying and it is Danny who catches him when he blacks out.

H50 – H50 – H50

_Great, passed out again_. Steve knows that since he is lying in bed under a mountain of blankets, curled on his left side, he must have passed out on his friends at some point. He has no idea how he got into his bed, probably Danny's and Chin's handiwork. He is still really cold but the shivering has abated somewhat. His knee shoots up a burst of pain when he stretches his leg out a little that makes him stop any movement. Now he can feel that his ankle is not faring much better, it's throbbing with the rhythm of his heart.

He feels a little sick and dizzy and wonders what time it is, so he slowly opens his eyes and blinks sleepily a few times until he can focus on his surroundings again. He looks right into the worried face of Danny who is looking at him and obviously waiting for him to completely come awake.

"Danny?"

"Hey."

"I'm sorry," Steve is only whispering and closes his eyes again.

"What?"

"I'm sorry Danny. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I didn't mean to and I don't want you to leave me alone. Please don't go," Steve is still speaking very softly but is now looking at his friend.

"Hey it's okay, I'm not leaving. You won't get rid of me that easy. Same goes for Chin and Kono. And for the record I don't think that you're responsible for what happened to you, I told you I didn't mean that. And I'm sorry I brought yesterday up I know you feel awful about that."

"That's okay I shouldn't have gone off like that. Danny where is Cath?"

"She went to see Dr. Hope to get you something for your pain. I wanted to go but she said I need to be here when you wake up," he smiles at his friend.

"Wonder why she thinks that. Thank you for staying and letting me apologizing. I'm glad you're here."

"Steve can I ask you something?"

"Hmmmm."

"Where you really thinking about quitting Five-0?"

Steve looks at his friend for a long moment, "I'm not sure Danny, I was thinking about it, but I don't think I was really serious about it. Today it became clear to me that I really love this. It's not just a job anymore, Danny I'm 'happy' with my life. But. . ."

"But what Steve?"

"I'm scared," Steve is only whispering and is looking at his friend with such worry in his eyes that Danny is instantly leaning down to him and takes his hand that is sneaking out of under the blanket.

"About what Steve, what are you scared of?"

"It's twelve weeks now since I suffered the blow to the head and I still have trouble concentrating. Danny I still can't follow a conversation with more than one person very well. I still can't remember much about the whole thing, I still keep forgetting names or what you told me about it. I can't call up information that is right there but I just can't reach it. I'm completely emotional and sensitive, you have any idea how many times I cried for no reason in the last weeks, or just blow up if people just look at me wrong" Steve is looking at his friend in total frustration.

"But Steve Dr. Hope told you that it is normal that you need some more time to get back to yourself."

"It's not getting much better Danny. . .what if this brain damage is permanent, what if I'm never getting better?"

"Steve you don't have brain damage!"

"What do you want to call those deficits then?"

"Temporary problems caused by a very severe concussion?"

"It's not funny Danny. I'll get medically discharged and I will lose my job with Five-0."

"Steve! Stop that, it's way too early to think about that, you WILL get better. But Steve even if you won't, I will always be here for you. Your friends and Catherine will always be here for you. We're Ohana, remember? And if you can't be Five-0 or a freaking ninja anymore you will do something else. Maybe you will become a PI and we will be famous like Magnum."

"We?"

"Sure you idiot, you really think I would let you out to the world as a PI on your own? I couldn't do that to the public," Danny is grinning at his friend who seems to be a bit calmer now.

"Thanks Danny," he tries to move a little, that results in another burst of pain in his leg that let him cry out a little.

"Hey stay still, Cath will be back real soon and you get something for your pain, just hold on a little longer," Danny is very worried about his friend who normally stands above such things as some pain in his leg. Hell he was still joking when he broke his arm after the fall. But ever since he hit his head he has changed and Danny really hopes to get his old Steve back soon. He looks at him and can clearly see the pain lines and that he tries to keep the pain at bay. They should never have let him come back down, they should have put him in bed right after he came home. Danny could feel how very cold he was when they helped him down the stairs. Getting him downstairs so that he could tell his story was just selfish and not the right thing to do. They are partially responsible for his breakdown. Danny starts to rub circles on Steve's back in the hope to ease the pain a little, warm him up and to calm him down some more.

"You don't feel so cold any more, you feel a little better?"

"Yeah I'm not freezing anymore, just cold."

"You want me to get you another blanket?"

"No that's okay. You think Cath will take much longer?"

"Is the pain getting worse? Anything I can do?"

"Can you get me a pillow for my knee so that I can turn on my back?"

It takes Danny only a minute to get all the pillows he can find from the couch and the bedroom and to get them back to the bed. Steve can't suppress a laugh when he sees Danny carrying all that stuff but is really grateful when he carefully helps him turn on his back and positions his leg gently on some pillows. Every little movement hurts worse than when his leg was broken and the ankle is extremely swollen and he can't stretch his knee out. Danny rearranges the pillows a little bit more and covers him back up with all the blankets.

"You okay like that, is the position of the leg bearable?"

"It's fine, thank you Danny, hurts a lot less like that," Steve tries to stop the shivering that started again when the covers where thrown back.

"Steve you like some more hot tea, it will warm you up some more."

"No thanks, would make me need to go pee even more, already had too much tea," Steve is telling his friend without opening his eyes. He really hopes that Catherine will be back soon, the pain did settle down a little but it still hurts like hell.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading! Let's hope that Cath will be back soon, so that Steve can get better. Sorry that there was no 'present day' in this chapter but I felt we should stay with Steve's story without switching time. But I can assure you that Danny and Steve are still keeping their heads above the water. ;-)<strong>_

_**Here is again a little sneak peek into the next one.**_

**Chapter 10 – Housecall**

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Cath any news?"

"No nothing yet Kono it can take some time, they have a lot of ground to cover."

"But they know where they went overboard, can't they estimate where they should be by now?"

"Yeah they normally could, but the current is going in all directions, so it's not that simple, but they're doing all they can. It is not that easy to find two people in open water."


	10. Chapter 10 Housecall

_**Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, you guys are really the best.**_

_**At the moment the story is a little heavy on the past, but that will change soon. Chapter 12 for example is completely 'present day', but right now we need to lay the ground for what is happening later on. **_

_**But I still hope that you will like it, even if we don't 'see' Steve and Danny in the water. ;-)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 - Housecall<strong>

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Cath any news?"

"No nothing yet Kono it can take some time, they have a lot of ground to cover."

"But they know where they went overboard, can't they estimate where they should be by now?"

"Yeah they normally could, but the current is going in all directions, so it's not that simple, but they're doing all they can. It is not that easy to find two people in open water."

"They only have about another hour of light. If they don't find them by then, there is not much hope of finding them at night. Maybe they are swimming to shore?"

"No Steve wouldn't do that, cost way to much energy and he knows that Danny would never make it and he would never leave him. They'll stay together and save as much energy as possible. Why were they down at the harbor anyway, why did they check out that freighter?"

"The guy they busted yesterday gave up the name so they went to check it out," Chin still wonders how his team-mates ended up on the leaving freighter.

"They are in international waters by now and we can't do much about it right now. Only thing we can do is make sure that they won't be able to enter the US again," Lieutenant Rollins is angry that there is not much to do about the people who are responsible for her friends being in the ocean.

"So there is nothing much for us to do than wait," something Kono is not really good at.

"Yeah we need to wait for word from SAR or the Coast Guard, I hope they will find them soon."

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (83 _days after the crash)_**

Steve is glad that the shivering stopped a minute ago, every movement of his muscles hurt his knee and ankle and now he can finally lay still. He is frustrated with himself, all he wanted was some time alone, but he ended up again hurt and in need of help. And that frustrates him to no end, also that he again can't shut out the pain. He was always able to function, no matter how bad the pain was getting, but ever since his head injury he just can't do that. The pain is really getting to him and he is sure that he would not be able to get up. He lies with his eyes closed and waits for Cath to come back with some prescription pills for his ankle and knee. _Don't forget your back_, he moves a little to elevate the pressure but that only makes him groan again.

"Steve you're awake?"

"Yeah."

"Anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"Yeah you could just shoot me."

"I was thinking about something less drastic maybe."

Steve is now looking at Danny, "I really hate to be so dependent on you, not you you, but all of you."

"Hey that's what ohana is for, you would help me just the same."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I have to like it. This is so not me Danny, it's getting laughable, the guy I see in the mirror in the morning that is not me."

"What do you mean? Sure it's still just you."

"No it's not, I was hurt before, worse than this, but I was never ever such a wuss. I just can't get past the pain Danny, it really hurts and I can't take it. I hate it."

"You have any idea how often I cried when my knee was so bad? Sometimes it is okay to give in to the pain Steve. And for the record you are so far from being a wuss or a wimp or whatever you might like to call it, that those words are not even in the same airspace than you are. You know it is okay to let the pain out, cry if you need to. If it makes you feel better, why not? Is there any reason why a man can't cry?"

"What have YOU been reading lately, self-help books," Steve is now grinning at his friend.

"Ah bite me."

"Cute."

Before they can go deeper into this very intelligent manly conversation Catherine is back and she is not alone. In tow are Mark and Dr. Zane, both are in pretty elegant attire and it is obvious that they were together somewhere. Steve is groaning inwardly, he was not prepared to face his doctor just yet, who without a doubt is very angry with him.

But Mark only looks with worry at him and Colonel Zane is smiling warmly, "Steve how do you feel? Catherine told us about your little adventure."

Mark Hope is putting his black bag on the bed next to him and checks his temperature first.

"98, that's really good, almost back to normal, you still feel a little cold?"

"Yeah a little."

"Catherine, Danny will you wait downstairs for us to finish with Steve please?"

"They can stay if they want."

"Okay your call. Now listen we will first take a look at you in general, I know you're hurting but first we need to know if your heart, lungs and head are affected before we can give you anything. But I promise to be quick." And he is. He checks Steve's lungs, listens to his heart and gets the penlight out to shine into Steve's eyes, which actually hurts. "Steve did you hit your head?"

"Yeah, I have a headache since around three p.m., it's maybe a four."

"Did it get worse over the course of the day?"

"No."

"Were you dizzy or nauseas?"

Steve laughs out loud after that question.

"What's funny about that?"

"I was puking my guts out all morning and was too dizzy to even sit up. But after the injection at three I was fine and I was not dizzy or sick after I hit my head."

"Good. We're going to get your pants down to take a look at your knee and ankle," they are very gentle in getting the sweats out of the way and the sock off his foot but Steve is still crying out when they move his leg. Now just clad in his boxers he can feel the cold creeping back into him.

"Ah damn Steve that looks bad. No wonder you're in such pain," Dr. Zane is speaking up for the first time, "I'm afraid there is a lot of fluid gathered around the ankle again. We need to pull that out, I know that will hurt but you will feel better afterwards. Same goes for the knee we will try to elevate the pressure at least a little. When we're done you need to stay off the leg for a couple of days so that we can avoid such a built up of fluids again. I'm going to start with your ankle, but first I'm going to give you some local anesthesia. Mark you want to give him something for the pain now or do you want to wait until after the procedure."

"We'll wait until after. We can't give him too many different drugs that would mess with his injections."

"Steve we need to wait a few minutes for the drug to work, I'm going to clean the scraps on your knees and elbows while we wait. And how did you manage to get the graze on your right side. That is from a bullet, when did you get shot?"

"What? I didn't get shot."

"Steve I have seen hundreds of gunshot wounds; that injury is from a bullet that grazed you," she is now completely exposing his upper belly and takes a closer look at it, "it barely touched you but you were definitely shot this afternoon." She starts to clean the wound that is already a bit scabbed over, but that comes off with her cleaning and starts to bleed and burn a little. A minute later he is wearing a huge thick bandage over the small graze, which makes it look a lot worse than it is. Next she is sticking a needle in him with a mix of antibiotics.

"You do know that you belong into a hospital and not in your bed," Dr. Zane looks like she is actually debating to transport him to the ER.

"I'm not going to the hospital, forget it. Treat me here or leave it, but I'm not going to the hospital."

Catherine didn't say anything until now, even though she was pretty shocked to learn that he was shot, but now it's time for her to speak up, "Can you treat his wounds here and do something for the pain in his leg?"

"Yeah, but he should be checked out at the ER."

"Please treat him here and I'll watch him during the night, if he gets worse in any way I will call an ambulance and personally deliver him to the hospital. But until that happens please just do something for his leg and I'm sure he will be just fine in his bed." Cath is now sitting on the bed and smiles encouragingly at Steve, she will make sure that he is not spending the night in the hospital if it can be avoided.

"Okay if Mark agrees he can stay here, Mark?"

"Only reason for a hospital visit would be his head, but he seems fine. I'm sure he just needs to sleep. Steve I want you to stay in bed until tomorrow at least until noon. Don't get up and call me if you start to feel unwell. Cath you watch him?"

"I'll make sure that he will rest."

"Okay if we can make him comfortable and get all the fluid out then I don't see why he shouldn't stay home. At the ER they would do the same that we're doing right now. I would not call for any x-rays or MRI or tests we can't do here. His temperature is back up and besides from the pain in his leg he is doing pretty well."

"I am! I'm just tired. Can you hurry up please I'm getting cold."

"Sorry," Dr. Zane is covering him back up and only leaves his right leg half exposed. She is then proceeding with her work on the ankle. Even though the area was numbed by the drugs it still hurts when the needle is inserted to suck all the gathered fluid out. She has to do that from three different angles and after she is finally done Steve is ready to shoot her if she touches his ankle one more time. But she only wraps it with an elastic bandage and moves on to his knee where she repeats the procedures. But after a short while or as Steve thinks an eternity she is finally done and covers him completely up again.

"Okay that's all we can do now, the pain should be better soon. Mark can you give him something to relieve the pain some more, so that he can sleep?"

"Yeah I'll do that in a minute. Steve I like to see you on Monday for your MRI and to fill out the next questionnaire for the study, since you were not in today. I'm not very happy with you about just disappearing into the night. Don't do that again," but he says it with a smile, "Oh and I almost forgot we brought you some new crutches. Use them!"

Dr. Hope injects something for the lingering pain and leaves some pain pills for later use. After some words with Catherine they are finally leaving.

"Danny can you stay a minute," Steve is calling to his friend who was also leaving.

"Sure."

"Can you help me get up?"

"Steve did you listen at all to what those nice two doctors were telling you? You are not to get up! What is it with you, can't you for once listen and stay put?"

"Are you done?"

"Yes I'm done and no I'm not helping you get up, you stay in bed."

"I need to go to the bathroom. Danny please?"

He can now remember that Steve said something about too much tea over an hour ago, "Oh, why didn't you say that in the first place?" Danny throws the covers back and helps his friend to get out of bed, "You want to use the crutches?"

"No just lend me your shoulder and I'm fine."

They make it to the bathroom and back before Catherine is back and are just done with putting Steve back under the warm blankets.

"Everything okay in here boys?"

"Fine!"

If something is said in such unison something is definitely not fine. "Okay what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Sure."

"I think this is a good time for me to leave," Danny is grinning at his friend and knows that he will be in for it as soon as Cath figures out that he was out of bed. "Behave yourself, I'll come by tomorrow."

When Catherine comes back from letting Danny out and securing the house there is no more discussion because Steve is almost asleep already, but stirs again when Cath crawls into bed a few minutes later. She snuggles up to him, "Feeling better now?"

"Hmmmm."

"Are you still cold?"

"No actually I'm getting kind of warm."

"Okay I'm taking the thick blanket off. How do you feel Steve? You tell me if you get nauseas or start to feel unwell, I promised Mark to watch you."

"I feel fine. You know it's funny since Dr. Zane told me I was shot it really hurts, before I didn't even know," Steve moves a little to snuggle into Cath who is now back after rearranging the covers.

Cath is also snuggling into Steve this time on his left side and gently touches the bandage on the right side of his abdomen just under his ribcage, "You really didn't feel getting hit?"

"No, I saw the wound when I was in the shower but I thought it was from the fall or from sliding down the hill. I had no idea that I was hit. But the bandage is really ridiculous it's just a small grace."

"Yeah but it started to bleed quite a bit when she cleaned it. Does it still burn?"

"Hmmmm what?"

"It's okay Steve go to sleep," she can see that he is struggling to stay awake. She settles down and leaves her hand on his chest under his sweatshirt. He is finally not so ice cold anymore, his body feels almost warm again. It takes her only a few minutes to give in to sleep, knowing that her friend is securely tugged in bed right next to her.

H50 – H50 - H50

Morning comes way too early for her liking, she was up at one and six am to give Steve his injections, he slept right through both of them, didn't even stir. Since it is Saturday she sleeps in until nine while Steve is still dead to the world. He doesn't open his eyes until eleven and even then he looks like he is ready to go right back to sleep. He is lying on his left side and is looking at Cath who came to sit with him a few minutes ago, she got a bit worried when he was still not waking up.

"Morning sleepy-head, it's time for your next injection, turn a little onto your back please," when he complies she uses the alcohol wipe and injects his medication into his abdominal muscles. They asked Mark Hope a while back why he can't inject into another muscle like his thigh or upper arm, since his abdomen starts to hurt with all the injections in pretty much the same place. But he explained that they haven't figured out yet why the drug is working best when administered through the abdomen. So they keep injecting in the by now pretty tender upper belly, which looks after so many injections rather bruised and is very sensitive to the touch.

Steve can feel right away that this injection will be a bad one, the pain travels down his belly and is very intense, "Cath I'm going to get sick." He closes his eyes and just breathes thru the pain in his gut, takes less than a minute until he is dizzy and feels the nausea coming, but with Cath's help he makes it to the bathroom in time.

When the retching and dry heaves finally ended he is panting and barely able to stand but since he is in the bathroom already he decides to take a shower.

"Aren't you supposed to keep the bandage dry?"

"She didn't say anything about that, we can put a new one on it after the shower. And this time maybe something smaller."

"Okay you take your shower, I'll go make you something to eat. Please use your crutches when you come down."

"My leg feels fine, see I can stand without them."

"Yeah and you need the crutches so that you keep feeling fine. Please just listen for once."

"Fine I'll use them. I thought you might like to take a shower with me," he is now grinning at her.

"No buster that ship sailed two hours ago, now hurry up," she is kissing him, turns and is ready to leave the bathroom but not before she can catch a glimpse while he is undressing. Makes her rethinking her decision of not taking the shower.

"See anything that might change your mind," Steve is raising his eyebrow at her.

"I think breakfast is overrated anyway," she smiles back, and soon her clothes join the discarded sweats on the bathroom floor.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>As always a little peak into the next one:<strong>_

**Chapter 11 – Trouble on the horizon**

**Five weeks ago (84 days after the crash)**

"Danno when is Uncle Steve coming" Grace Williams is sitting at the table at the Hilton Village and is looking expectantly at her father who doesn't seem to know how to answer her.

"Yeah Danny he's already late, Steve is never late, maybe we should call him," Kono is wondering for about twenty minutes now when her boss will be arriving.

"Ah Gracie he won't come. Uncle Steve was not feeling well and he is at home resting."

"What? He is not coming," his daughter looks really disappointed.

"No monkey he is not, but you see him tomorrow, remember he promised to take you to see that big ship."

"It's a 'Carrier' Daddy and it's 'Visitor's day' that will be so cool. But I wanted to see him tonight, do you think he is feeling better?"


	11. Chapter 11 Trouble on the horizon

**Chapter 11 – Trouble on the horizon**

**Five weeks ago (84 days after the crash)**

"Danno when is Uncle Steve coming" Grace Williams is sitting at the table at the Hilton Village and is looking expectantly at her father who doesn't seem to know how to answer her.

"Yeah Danny he's already late, Steve is never late, maybe we should call him," Kono is wondering for about twenty minutes now when her boss will be arriving.

"Ah Gracie he won't come. Uncle Steve was not feeling well and he is at home resting."

"What? He is not coming," his daughter looks really disappointed.

"No monkey he is not, but you see him tomorrow, remember he promised to take you to see that big ship."

"It's a 'Carrier' Daddy and it's 'Visitor's day' that will be so cool. But I wanted to see him tonight, do you think he is feeling better?"

"Danny? Since when was Steve not feeling well, I talked to him and he didn't say anything, is he all right" Chin doesn't really understand what is going on and wants to know if something happened that he is not aware off.

"He got sick again after he took his medication in the afternoon and he was sleeping when I left," Danny explains.

"Wait a minute, I know he was sick but he was fine shortly later," Kono gets a pretty bad feeling about this, "Danny did you ask Steve if he wants to come?"

Danny is looking at his friends and his daughter who are all waiting for an answer, one they won't like, but he just wants his friend to get the rest he needs. Well the rest he thinks he needs. Steve does not agree with that, so he took it up on himself to make sure that he will rest.

"No I didn't, look I know that he is not taking the rest he needs. That's why I didn't tell him that we meet here tonight. Guys he had a really rough week and he would have spent the night with us and run himself down even further. I'm only thinking about his health."

"Danno! That is not nice, he will be really sad when he finds out that we're here without him and Catherine. Why don't you want Uncle Steve here with us," Grace is now almost crying.

_Great now I make my daughter cry, because her Uncle Steve is not here, but at home sleeping_.

"Danny that is not a good idea to make more decisions for him. He knows what he can or can't do. You should have asked him, this is not going to end well," Kono is sure that there will be trouble on the horizon.

"Danno you need to call him and ask him to come," his daughter is looking at him with a very upset expression.

"Ah I don't know monkey we should just leave him stay at home and meet with Steve tomorrow."

"I think that ship just sailed out of here," Kono is looking with a stunned expression on her face to the entrance.

There in all their glory are standing Catherine and Steve, both dressed up for the occasion of 'Suit-up-Night at the Hilton'. Both in black, Danny has to admit no one will mistake Steve for a waiter and Catherine looks just stunning.

Stunned is the right word for the look Steve is now sending Danny's way, having spotted his team upon entering.

It is now that Gracie spots them, "Uncle Steve!" She flies out of her chair and across the space to her target and practically jumps him.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Uncle Steve I was so worried Danno said you weren't feeling well but then he said that he didn't even ask you to come he said you need to rest but I'm so happy that you're here now," all that came out in one big rush. She doesn't even acknowledge Catherine she is still clinging to Steve and doesn't make any move to let him go any time soon.

"Gracie we had no idea you're here tonight, you look very nice in your dress," he puts her down and she is turning around so they can admire her dress.

"Hi Catherine, Danno said we need to dress up for tonight, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Gracie, so do you, will you lead the way to your table, we will be right there."

"Okay," and with that she goes back to the team-table.

"What are you doing Cath, we're not going over there."

"Steve don't be silly, sure we are, now put a smile on your face and suck it up," she is just taking his arm and leads him to his friends. She notices that he is limping a lot more since Grace jumped into his arms.

Steve is not happy, not one bit. First he is silently cursing himself for not taking his crutches with him, sure it wouldn't look very fashionable, but his limping probably doesn't look too fashionable either. And secondly he doesn't want to sit down with his friends who obviously wanted to spend some time without him, which is just fine by him, except that Danny made a decision for him again and so does Catherine who is still steering him into the direction of the table with his friends and a very excited Grace.

Chin already put two more chairs to the table and is waiting for them to take their places.

"Hi everybody, fancy meeting you here," Steve can't but direct in Danny's direction. He is sure to have a word with his friend in the near future. He gratefully sits down at the table, glad to get the weight off his throbbing knee and ankle.

"Boss you two look. . .wow, I mean you look really nice," Kono is a little blushing complimenting her boss, okay and friend, like that, but she wishes her boss would dress up more often. No wonder women always fall for the ones in uniform. _Get a grip girl he is not even wearing uniform_. And Catherine looks so totally different, she never saw her in a dress and she must admit she looks stunning. Those two are without a doubt the best dressed people at this event.

"Thank you Kono you don't look so shabby yourself," Steve is grinning at her.

"Uncle Steve will you dance with me later," Grace is not wasting any time, not that one of the other 'girls' get dibs on her uncle before she does.

"Of course I will, if your dad is going to share you. I'm sure he can't wait to have a dance with his beautiful daughter."

Grace giggles at that and blushes by the compliment but gets serious again, "Danno don't like to dance."

"It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not good at it but of course I will try not to embarrass you Grace."

"Oh come on Danny I'm sure you do just fine," Steve is asking himself why Danny doesn't want to dance with his daughter. Sometimes his friend is really strange.

Steve and Cath tell the waiter what they like for dinner and order their drinks. They slip right into easy banter and conversation with the team and the awkward first minutes are forgotten. After about an hour Steve stands up from the table and excuses himself to get his medication that is due in a few minutes. He walks with a very pronounced limp to the interior of the restaurant. His leg hurts a lot more now after sitting in a chair, it stiffened up and he needs a few steps before he can walk more easily.

Just as he enters the bar-part of the Hilton Village he is stopped by Governor Jameson, "Steve how are you, good to see you. Listen I like you to meet a friend of mine Harper Ferris. Harper this is Steve McGarrett."

"Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you," she is practically undressing him with her eyes right there in the middle of the bar, makes him feel pretty uncomfortable. She is tall, almost as tall as Steve with dark blond hair and very intense green eyes, which are still traveling up and down Steve's frame. "Please join us for a drink."

"I'm sorry Miss Ferris but I have to go and I'm here with company."

"Please Steve I insist, it won't take long I need to talk to you about something," Jameson is leading him away, or at least tries to.

"I'm sorry ma'am I have to go first but I will be back soon and then I will find you," he is looking at her and finally it dawns on her where he is going.

"Of course Steve, we wait here at the bar. Take your time."

"Thank you Ma'am," Steve knows that he has to hurry a bit, his watch beeped five minutes ago. He hurries into the men's room and injects his medication just as he can feel the first trembling in his leg. He sits down and hopes that the drug acts fast enough before the light trembling sensation can change into a cramping. While he is waiting for the drug to take effect he breathes through the pain that is boring into his lower back. Normally when the pain spreads to his back it is very mild and the dizziness is almost none existing, but the pain level he is experiencing right now is everything but mild. He arches his back in the hope to elevate the burning sensation a little but it's not working he can feel the sweat breaking out on his forehead and is assaulted by a bad bout of dizziness. _Please don't let me be sick too_. The pain should have left him before he got dizzy but he can still feel the very intense pain in his lower back.

The nausea is still with him but at a level that won't make him puke. It takes a couple minutes before the dizziness passes but his back still hurts, it's not burning anymore but the pain is stabbing into his lower back right below his belt, a shooting pain with every breath he takes. He gingerly stands up from the closed toilet seat and bites his lower lip, the pain is still there and moving only aggravates it. He presses his fist into his lower back and waits for his breathing to get back to normal. Just when he leans his forehead against the cool metal door of the stall in the hope for the excruciating sensation in his back to stop his phone rings. Catherine's picture is laughing at him, "Yeah?"

"Steve you okay? Do you need help," she is only whispering and he can hear that the others are a few yards away, so she is not sitting at the table.

"Nah I'll be fine but can you please pick me up from the men's room, you'll see then why," he is grinning when he thinks about that woman with Jameson.

"Sure I'll be right there, you sure I don't need to bring one of the boys?"

"Yeah. Meet you in a minute," he ends the call and tries to stand a bit taller, which almost knocks him over, his back feels like a steel fist gets rammed into it. "Damn!"

He leaves the stall and gingerly makes his way over to the sinks and can now see that his face is covered in sweat and he is a ghostly white. He freshens up a little and carefully makes his way out, the pain still pounding in his back. He limps over to Cath who is just entering the quiet area in front of the restrooms.

She takes one look at him and knows that something is not right, "What's the matter, you don't feel well?" She lays her hand on his forehead and can feel that his skin is a bit clammy.

"I'll be all right, back hurts really bad but is slowly getting better," he leans in on her when she hugs him.

"You wanna go home?"

"NO! Absolutely not, I'll be fine, just give me a few minutes, besides I promised Gracie a dance and if I remember right you wanted one too," he is now smiling down at her, the pounding pain leaving him some more. "Jameson wants to talk to me for a few minutes and she has a guest I need 'protection' from."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," he only grins at her.

Steve can by now stand more upright again even though there is still a dull throbbing in his back, but they make their way out into the bar and now Cath can see Gov. Jameson and her guest. Catherine hangs on to Steve's arm and is introduced to Harper; the way Steve is doing that leaves no room for speculation what their relationship is. The look on Harper's face is just priceless.

"Miss Rollins."

"Miss Ferris."

Steve and Jameson are grinning at each other, "Steve if you have a minute I like to talk to you about something important. I promise not to keep you away from your friends for long."

"Sure Ma'am, you like the table over there," he is indicating an empty table just a few yards away.

"Yes that will do."

"I'll be right back, will you wait for me," the kiss he is giving Catherine destroys even the last doubts about their relationship. Cath is smiling into the kiss and has to laugh a little about his play of affection just to scare Harper Ferris off.

"I'll be right here and have a chat with Miss Ferris."

H50 – H50 – H50

"Steve are you feeling all right? You don't look very well," Gov. Jameson is looking at the head of her Task Force who is sitting across from her and looks like he is keeling over any second now.

"No I'll be fine, just a bad reaction to my medication. It happens sometimes but won't last long. I'm okay."

"How much longer do you need to take it," she is wondering when she is going to get him back full time.

"A little less than three weeks. Governor what do you like to talk to me about?"

"Right, I received some disturbing news that the prosecution might make a deal with Vitali Dobendan."

"What? You've got to be kidding me. We have him on all kinds of criminal activities not just my kidnaping."

"I know Steve and there is no doubt that he would be found guilty. But there seems to be some interest in the information he could give, so the prosecution is thinking about letting him go."

"Letting him go," Steve can feel how the people around them are sending curious looks their way by his outburst so he lowers his voice, "How can they let him go?"

"Steve I'm telling you this in confidence, they don't want anyone to know, please keep that to yourself. But I think YOU need to know that. He is negotiating to be set free together with his daughter. If it comes to that they will of course be escorted out of the States."

"Of course. This is a joke," Steve knows if this is going to happen, if Vitali is set free, he will not leave the States or the Islands.

"Steve please don't talk to anyone about this, I'm going to try to update you on everything. I'll try to intervene, but if he can proove that he has important information, you know how that is. Then it won't matter what he did. I'm so sorry Steve."

"Thank you for telling me," they are both getting up, Steve with a bit more effort but the pain in his back has abated some more by now. They both join their respective partners again and go their separate ways.

"Steve what was that about?"

"Not here," he is still fuming while he is limping back to their table where they are welcomed with curious looks.

"Where have you been so long," Danny asks while pulling the chair for his friend back who he thinks looks pretty sick.

"With Jameson, tell you about it later."

"Uncle Steve can we go now and have a grownup dance?"

"Grownup Grace?"

"Yeah you now where you have to 'lead' me. Stan showed me how to do those dances," now it is crystal clear why Danny doesn't want to dance.

"Oh I see, well Miss Grace it would be my honor to dance with you," he is getting up and just hopes that his leg or his back for that matter will not give out on him. But so far so good, he leads the young lady to the dance floor.

"Uncle Steve?"

"Yes Gracie."

"I think Danno is sad that he can't show me how to dance like this. Do you think I should not dance with Stan," she is looking up at him incredibly sad and he is sure to see tears pooling in her eyes ready to fall down any second. He is not really sure what to do, this is kind of new territory for him, even though she often asks his advice when she can't talk to her dad, when her questions are involving Danno or when she has trouble with boys who she thinks are just stupid. She always says that Daddy flips out when she mentions boys. He really needs to talk to Danny about this, he is completely out of his league here. "Maybe Danno wouldn't be so sad if 'you' showed me how to do it right."

_Not a good idea_, he knows that Danny is already a tiny bit jealous about the growing relationship with his daughter, which is completely ridiculous, but he is her dad, so it is very understandable.

"Gracie maybe we can ask Danno if he like to learn it together with you. You know Cath and I show you and Danno. Maybe that would make him happy." Not an ideal solution but the best he can come up with right away.

"Maybe," she still looks really sad, completely different to the girl from just a few minutes ago.

"Gracie what is it, you want to tell me what is bothering you?"

"I don't like to see Danno so sad, he really doesn't like Stan, but he is nice to me, he is not bad," now a tear is rolling down her cheek and Steve doesn't know if it is the right thing to do but he just picks her up, hugs her and obviously it was the right thing since she buries her head into his neck and softly starts to cry.

Danny and the others are watching Steve and Grace gently swaying to the slow music, seemingly lost in a very deep conversation. They are all a bit surprised when suddenly Steve picks her up and she starts to cry on his shoulder while Steve whispers something into her ear, to which she nods vigorously. Steve turns and slowly walks, now with a very heavy limp, back towards the table meeting Danny halfway.

"Gracie, Danno is here. You wanna switch dance partners now?"

"Okay."

"Gracie tell your dad what you told me, I promise everything will be fine," he smiles at Danny and hands over his cargo.

He makes his way back to their table where his friends are waiting to learn what just happened. He sits down with a sigh and announces that this was his only and last dance for the night. His leg is killing him, which he is not announcing but everyone can see that anyway. He fills his friends in about what made Grace so unhappy and hopes that his friend can calm his daughter. He is always able to do that, Steve knows that he is a great father, very sensitive to his daughters needs and he is wondering why she is coming to him with some of her problems. _Maybe she just wants a different perspective. Maybe. Wow getting tired again, you always talk to yourself when you're tired._ "Shut up."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"You just said 'shut up' when I asked about Jameson."

"I'm sorry Chin I didn't hear you. What was your question?"

"When you came back from the bar, you looked ready to explode. Everything okay?"

"No, but I can't tell you here. I'll tell you later."

Danny and Grace are back from their 'dancing' and the little girl is smiling again and even Danny smiles his thanks to Steve.

H50 – H50 – H50

Vitali Dobendan is led into the interrogation room at Haiwala Correctional Facility where he is held until his trial. Two officers are on either side of him and he is wearing handcuffs but his ankles are free. He is set down at a table and is cuffed to it. His layer is already sitting there with DA Smith, who is handling the case, across from them.

"Mister Dobendan I have discussed your proposal with my colleagues and the relevant authority, neither of us is very keen on making a deal with you. The crimes that you and your daughter are charged with are very serious. I don't see a way to make any deal with you. Besides from all your other crimes, you kidnapped the head of the Governor's Task Force, and your daughter is responsible for torturing him. I don't see what you can offer that would make us drop the charges on that."

"You have no proof that we did any such thing."

"Mister Dobendan, we have more than enough proof to convict you, did you forget that you were arrested in Commander McGarrett's house after you tried to kill him? Breaking and entering, aggravated assault, battery, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, not even to mention the kidnapping of Lieutenant Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins. That alone will get you a life-sentence and we haven't even started with all the other charges," Smith is very smugly smiling at him, he knows that there is no way that Vitali will get out of this when it comes to a trial.

"I have information that will give you the head of the biggest drug, weapon and child-porn ring in the history of the US. I can give you the whole operation on a silver platter. The people who are responsible for dozens of young children disappearing into the Asian market. You want that 'slave-ring' to stop?"

"Can you proove what you're saying? Are you involved in that?"

"No I'm not. I never ever harmed any child. I'm a father myself, I find that organization disgusting, but I had to deal with them on a different matter. But I do have all the information you need to bust them. If you're interested I will give you all you need in exchange of the freedom of my daughter, Jefferson, and myself."

"We never talked about Jefferson."

Vitali is inwardly grinning, the DA is already negotiating, everything is going as planned. Well it was not his plan to get busted in the first place, but he always has a plan B, "Jefferson included or no deal at all."

"I will talk to my superiors about this and will be in contact tomorrow. You have to give us some proof of course before we even start to think about letting you go."

"Of course and I'm prepared to do that. I will give you the time and place when the next drop off of cocaine will happen. Those people are only couriers they don't know anything about the organization, but you will get a few dozen kilo of cocaine off the market."

"I will be in contact again."

The meeting ends with Dobendan being led back into his cell and DA Smith calling to make an appointment for a meeting with his superiors in the next hour. This could be his biggest case, a bust like a child-porn ring will get him into the top league. Besides the Commander and his girlfriend are fine, okay a cop was killed he will get heat for that if Vitali gets free, but on the other hand if a group that deals with children can be taken off the street, isn't that worth a little sacrifice? It never occurs to him that neither the commander or his girlfriend are fine, that their life changed because of the ordeal they went through. That McGarrett suffered a great deal and still does because of Dobendan and that he deserves to get some justice. Not even to mention Philip, whose life changed forever, who might never be the same again.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far.<strong>_

_**And as always a little peek into the next one.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Getting answers<strong>

**Present day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

_**. . .**_"I'm fine Danny don't worry," even though he said to Danny not to worry, he himself is a little scared about the strange feeling he experienced just a few minutes ago. But maybe Danny is right he was feeling tired this morning and their chase yesterday after the suspect did not really help.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Twenty four hours ago **

"Danny step on it, we're losing him. Right right, he took a right turn!"

"I can see that, what do you think I'm doing? Closing my eyes while driving?"

"Danny watch it!" Danny slams on the brakes and they get both pressed into their seatbelts when the car comes to a sudden stop, just inches from a garbage truck that was backing out of a side-street. The car they were chasing was not so lucky that sits crashed into the side of it, but the driver's door is open and the suspect is nowhere to be seen.


	12. Chapter 12 Getting answers

**And here are as promised just Steve and Danny, with a little bit of Chin and Kono.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Getting answers<strong>

**Present day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Steve you think they will take much longer?"

"Danny honestly, I don't know. I'm sure that they are looking for us, but the currents are very tricky and we're in the water for a little over four hours now and a long way from where we fell into the water."

"We didn't fall into the water, we were blasted into it," Danny reminds his friend of how they ended up in the ocean.

"All right 'blasted' into the ocean," Steve has to smile a little at his friend who he knows like to dramatize the situation a little bit. Well okay maybe he is taking this a little too lightly but that is just because being in the ocean is not scary to him at all, he actually feels right at home in it. Maybe that's why this is not a big drama for him to spent a few hours in the water, he is sure that their friends will find them in time. Danny on the other hand hates to be in this environment, so of course this is not just dramatic for him it's a downright tragedy. "Danny I'm sure they will find us."

"Yeah? But when Steven? What if the wind picks up or we have to spend the night?"

"Then we will deal with that. Danny you're doing really great, you can do this a lot longer. People survived for days in the water. . ."

"Days? I don't want to spent days in here, I know you really like it because you are a crazy person, a crazy SEAL, they are all crazy and you are right on top of crazy. How can you like this, there is nothing under us for miles, only monsters who are just waiting to feed on us. Stop grinning! I hate you so much right now. Stop laughing you idiot," but Danny actually starts to laugh himself at his own ranting.

"Danny really? Monsters are waiting to feed on us? And there are not miles under us, you can probably dive down to the ground. And hey you said I'm not crazy, said it twice so I hold you to that."

"Whatever."

"Danny don't worry okay, we will be fine. They'll find us." Steve tries to calm his friend down, "you know I wanted to ask you something for weeks now and I think this might be a good time for it," Steve is looking a bit uncertain at his friend.

"Ask away since I'm not going anywhere."

"Please be honest with your answer okay?"

"Steve I never lie to you," Danny can't believe that his friend thinks that he might not give him an honest answer.

"I know that Danny, that's not what I mean. I want you to be honest with yourself. When you answer my question please think about it first."

Danny is looking a bit strangely at Steve, "Okay I promise."

"Why didn't you ask me to join you guys at the Hilton on that Saturday? Danny are you jealous about how much time Grace wants to spent with me and that it is cutting in your time with her?"

"NO! I just wanted you to rest, you fell asleep when I left and I just thought it would be best for you when you stayed home."

"Danny!"

"Okay fine, yeah maybe I'm a bit jealous, she has so much fun with you. And I envied you a little that my daughter wanted to do all those 'cool' things with you and not with me. But you know what? She adores you, she totally loves you and I know without a doubt that you would never ever do anything to hurt my little girl. That you love her too. And I realized that she does all the things with you that I'm not good at, and that's okay, because there are tons of things she is only doing with me. But you're right I was kind of overwhelmed about the feelings my daughter developed for her Uncle Steve. But I'm glad she does and I will deny this if you ever mention it to anyone, but you have a very good influence on her. I don't know how you did it but there are no complaints from her anymore that she gets in trouble with the boys in her class. Almost every day she said how horrible they were to her, but not anymore. She seems to be really cool about the boys who were bugging her."

Steve is grinning at his friend and is actually still blushing by his compliment for having a good influence, "Thank you Danny."

"You didn't teach her any ninja-tricks, did you? She is not mopping the floor with the boys, is she," Danny suddenly got a little worried.

"No absolutely not, we had a very civilized talk about how to treat your fellow classmates. Of course it might have helped a little that I went to her class when she 'forgot' her backpack in my car when I drove her to school about four weeks back. The boys might be a little intimidated to actually see her 'cool Uncle'. I swear I didn't say anything, I only talked to her teacher and apologized for disrupting the lesson. Very nice lady by the way. I may have made a face at the boys though, can't really remember."

"You made a face, great they are probably scared for life now."

"No actually when I picked her up later, you were still at your 'seminar', she came out with the boys and they were talking very nicely with each other. Grace introduced me properly and we had a very nice chat, they will be coming by the office next week to learn everything about police work, the whole class is coming. Sorry forgot to tell you, totally slipped my mind."

"You invited the whole class to come see us? With the dragon?"

"The dragon?"

"The 'nice lady' as you call her."

"Oh you mean the dragon-lady. No I was referring to her assistant, she will come by with the kids and," Steve suddenly stops talking mid-sentence and looks very strangely at Danny, "I don't feel so good."

"You gonna be sick again," Danny gets closer to his friend who seems a bit out of it.

"No. . .I don't know. . .I feel. . .kind of weird. . .my head hurts. . .everything's a bit blurry. . .Danny," before Steve can actually pass out Danny has him in a secure hold against his chest again.

"Steve! Come on stay with me," but his head already lolls to the side and Danny struggles to keep him above water. He is tired from all the swimming and has a bit of trouble to keep his unconscious friend above the waterline. Fifteen minutes can be an eternity when you are treading water and try to keep your friend and yourself from drowning. It takes fifteen minutes for Steve to stir again.

"Urgh, Danny? What happened?"

"You passed out, you feel better now?"

"I feel fine."

"You feel fine! Steve you were unconscious for I don't know, forever."

Steve is getting a little away from Danny and looks at him, "I'm pretty sure it was not forever. I remember feeling kind of out of it, I don't know how to explain it. And then there was this intense pain in my head but it's all gone now. I don't know what that was Danny, I really feel fine, my head doesn't hurt. This was really weird, you think that might still be the drug, but Mark cleared me two weeks ago and I passed every possible test."

"Yeah but he also said that you should rest as often as possible and sleep for at least eight hours at night the next few weeks. You didn't do that, did you?"

Steve must admit that his friend does have a point there, "No not really, was kind of busy," he grins at him.

"Yuck I really don't want to know THAT. Maybe this is really nothing serious but you're just exhausted, this here is no picnic even though you seem to enjoy it more than I do. And I saw that the guy hit you in the back, I bet your lower back is also killing you even though you forgot to mention that."

"Well the cold is kind of numbing everything a little bit by now, but I guess it's a good thing that we don't have to walk right now."

"I would take walking over this damn swimming anytime."

"You tired Danny, you want me to keep you up for a bit?"

"No I'm fine just keep yourself up and please don't pass out on me again," he is getting closer to his friend just in case.

"I'm fine Danny don't worry," even though he said to Danny not to worry, he himself is a little scared about the strange feeling he experienced just a few minutes ago. But maybe Danny is right he was feeling tired this morning and their chase yesterday after the suspect did not really help.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Twenty four hours ago **

"Danny step on it, we're losing him. Right right, he took a right turn!"

"I can see that, what do you think I'm doing? Closing my eyes while driving?"

"Danny watch it!" Danny slams on the brakes and they get both pressed into their seatbelts when the car comes to a sudden stop, just inches from a garbage truck that was backing out of a side-street. The car they were chasing was not so lucky that sits crashed into the side of it, but the driver's door is open and the suspect is nowhere to be seen.

Steve is silently groaning when he gets out of the car, he feels slightly nauseas and his back sends a twinge of discomfort his way. But that doesn't stop him from going after the suspect at full speed, well at least he hopes to get after the suspect when he jumps over some garbage bins that got hurled in the way when the suspect's car crashed into them. He can now see their 'runner'. _Why do they always have to run?_ Steve just clears the little street and crosses the bigger one to disappear in the next small street again when he hears screeching tires and cursing from his partner who is hot on his trail. But no time to look back, he knows that Danny is okay, he can still hear him not five yards behind him. Steve knows that he needs to end this chase he won't be able to keep it up for long, he can already feel the pain in his ankle increasing. He is cleared for duty, but he doesn't think that he is fit enough for a long foot chase. His back is also not very happy with him at the moment, the physicals down at the base were really hard and he is still a little sore. He can feel Danny closing in on him which means that he is losing speed. He needs to end this.

The suspect is looking back and that was his mistake that gives Steve the chance to get closer. The looking back cost precious time, time that Steve is now using to get into tackle-distance. One last burst of speed and he flies at the suspect. Before he even knows what is happening Steve tackles him and they are both crashing into a dozen garbage bins which are flying in all directions. But obviously the suspect is a football pro, because before Steve can apprehend him he hits him with the lid of one of the bins and is back on his feet, but now Danny is on him and throws him back onto the ground, way harder than necessary. Danny is looking worriedly at his partner who seems to be somewhat dazed and still tries to get back onto his feet.

"Steve you all right?" Danny is still kneeling on their suspect and looks at Steve who is now standing but is doubled over and is puking his guts out into one of the garbage bins. _How convenient._ "Steve?"

Steve is too busy throwing up to answer his friend, so he just signals him that he is okay. The lid hit him on his very tender abdomen which is practically just one big bruise from all the injections. The hit was not even that hard but made him puke right away. He is coughing some but finally his retching stops. He stands up and lifts his shirt to reveal an angry red streak across his whole midsection on top of all his bruises. He puts his left arm protectively over his stomach and limps over to Danny and their suspect.

"You okay?"

"Yeah think so."

"Let me go, I didn't do anything," their suspect is still struggling to get free.

"You shut up. You just assaulted and injured my partner. I will personally see that you will not just be charged with assaulting an officer but also with battery and I'm sure I can throw in 'with a deadly weapon' as well. You will be old and gray before you will see the sun again."

"He attacked ME!"

"You ran! Now shut up so I can read you your rights before I throw you into a cell, where you will rot for a long time. That injury you caused my partner looks nasty, I'll make sure that all my colleagues will get a peek at what you did to one of their own."

Steve is now smirking and has a hard time not to laugh out loud. He is not saying anything is still playing the injured victim here, not too hard, since his abdomen really hurts. Danny is working their suspect just fine and he is sure that it will not take much longer before he will tell them everything. Their suspect looks a little uncertain by now, time to act up a little, "Danny I think we need to stop by the ER, I don't feel so good." He sits down on one of the bins, looks rather pathetically at his partner and curls in on himself a little bit, throws even a little groaning into it.

By this time Chin and Kono are on the scene and taking their suspect into custody. Danny informs them that he is taking his partner to the ER and that the scumbag better hope that he does not have internal injuries or he won't stay for long in his cell. Chin and Kono are taking him back to HQ all the time telling him that he better hope that their boss is not seriously hurt or they can't guarantee his safety for long. When they reach HQ he is ready to tell them everything, in the hope that his willingness to help will help with his sentence of seriously injuring a police officer.

While he is spilling his guts in the interrogation room, Danny and Steve are watching from behind the one-way mirror.

"You know maybe we can make that a routine, you puking and the suspect spilling the beans."

"Very funny Danny."

"You were really playing that to perfection, when you sat down even I believed that you would keel over any second."

"Who said anything about acting? That guy got a really lucky shot in, didn't need to act much."

"Steve are you okay," Danny is now taking a closer look at his friend.

"Yeah I'm fine. My whole abdomen is really tender, if I press on it I gonna puke. Doesn't take much to take me out at the moment."

"Let me see."

"What? No. Why do you want to see my bruises?"

"So that I know that you're really all right, now show me."

"Fine," Steve tenderly lifts his shirt to show his very bruised abdomen to Danny, still not sure why he wants to see it.

"Ah shit Steve that looks painful."

"No kidding," he puts his shirt down just as Kono comes in.

"Boss you okay?"

"I'm fine Kono. That was good work in there."

"Thanks boss. You want to check them out today?"

"No we need more information first, we're doing that tomorrow. We need to talk to the harbor master and take a look at the freighter. But we need to find out when they are leaving."

"On it boss."

"Danny I'm going to call it a day. It's almost six now. See you tomorrow at nine."

"I'll drive you."

"No that's okay Danny, besides I have my truck outside."

"What you think someone is going to steal it in front of HQ? I drive you home and I pick you up in the morning."

"Danny I'm fine."

"Sure you're fine, that's why you call it a day and that's why you don't want to take a look at the freighter tonight, because you're fine."

"It's the right thing to do Danny, I'm not a hundred percent and I couldn't be adequate back up for you, so we're going to see to it tomorrow. But I am fine."

They have now reached Danny's car and he is throwing the key to Steve, "you drive," with that he sits in the passenger seat and waits for his friend to get behind the wheel.

They are already halfway to Steve's place when he hears the softly spoken "thanks Danny", which lets him smile all the way over to Steve's.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading, let me know what you think, good, bad, indifferent. I really like to know. If you don't like to post a review, a private message will do. ;-)<strong>_

_**And now on to the sneak peek into chapter 13:**_

**Chapter 13 – Stories**

"You still don't remember much about the kidnapping?"

"No only bits and pieces. I'm still waiting for the sudden flash and my memory is back, but I don't think that will happen. Maybe I need to learn to live with the huge gaps that are there now. But if I won't recover them I won't pass the psych eval."

"You worried about it? The eval I mean," Cath knows that he is worried about the consequences if he won't pass his evaluation.

"JoJo said I shouldn't, but yeah I guess I am."

"JoJo is not doing it, right?"

"No, that would be a conflict of interest. I don't know who will do it."


	13. Chapter 13 Stories

**Chapter 13 – Stories**

**Five weeks ago (85 _days after the crash)_**

Sand. The sand is getting everywhere. In his eyes, nose, ears and he can taste it in his mouth. The first few days, he managed to keep the sand away from his skin but now it has crawled into his socks, his underwear and it is irritating as hell. He thinks about a cool shower to wash it all off to get it out of every orifice and away from the most sensitive body parts. But that is not happening any time soon. So he walks on with the feeling of sandpaper as underwear and the grinding of the sand between his teeth, he lost the ability to produce some spit to get rid of at least a little bit of sand hours ago. Now he is reduced to some serious coughing when he breathes in some of the sand that seems to be the basis of the air they breathe for the last hour. The storm picked up a little more and visibility is down to a few yards. They need to stop and wait for the storm to clear a little before they can move on. That means more sand, when they lay down, hunkered together, so they won't get lost in the storm that is howling now. The sand that is now pounding down on them like a heavy rain storm, it is hurting on every exposed part of their bodies. It is coming down on them with such force that even the clothes they are wearing are no real protection against the sand that feels like millions of needle pricks. Only thing they can do is trying to protect their faces and hope for the storm to end soon. They are all wearing goggles but still the sand goes under it. Breathing gets harder and harder, the air tastes of sand and every breath feels like they are eating sand instead of getting the much needed oxygen.

Steve can more feel than hear Ben screaming something next to his ear, but he can't understand a word and suddenly Ben is not there anymore and he feels himself lifted up, thrown through the air and hitting the ground with such force that the wind gets completely knocked out of him. He can't breathe, he has no idea where is up and down. Something is shaking him and he comes awake with a start, coughing and disoriented for a moment until he can feel Catherine's cool hand on his sweat soaked forehead.

"Steve come on wake up, it was just a dream, you're okay," Cath can see that he is struggling to get rid of the strong hold the dream still has on him. He is starting to shake a little and is still coughing like he is trying to get rid of something in his airways. "You feel better now? You didn't have a nightmare in weeks."

"It's not a dream, it's a memory," Steve pants out between a coughing fit, he can't seem to stop.

"I'll get you some water, be right back," when she comes back he is sitting up propped up with some pillows against the headrest and is still trying to stop coughing, "Here drink, it will make you feel better."

Steve is taking the bottled water with shaking hands and drains half the bottle in almost one big gulp. Helps almost instantly with the painfully dry coughing, he leans his head back and draws in his first real deep breath since he woke up a few minutes ago.

"You okay?"

"Bit dizzy," he is taking in some more air and can feel how his head clears up and the room stops spinning from the lack of oxygen he experienced for a few minutes.

"You want to take a shower? You're soaking wet. Come on I get you some new sleep shorts and change the sheets while you take a quick shower," Cath is practically pulling him out of bed in the semi darkness of the very early morning. It's not even three thirty.

Steve is stumbling on somewhat unsteady legs to the bathroom, but at least his leg is not hurting so much anymore. He took some more painkillers when they came back from the Hilton and they still seem to do their job pretty good. They even help a little with the pain in his back that is still with him, not as bad as at the Hilton but it's still somewhat pounding. He is shedding his shirt and sleep shorts and stands under the lukewarm spray trying to figure out why he had this dream. He didn't think about that mission in years and he has the suspicion that the pain in his back may have triggered the memory of that fateful sandstorm. After a few minutes he feels somewhat like himself again and stops the water, dries off and leaves the bathroom with just a towel around his waist. When he steps out of the shower, he feels a little twinge in his ankle and can feel now that his leg starts to hurt a little more, _should have used the crutches_, he knows that he was an idiot for not listening to his doctor or Catherine. Who is waiting for him and as promised has some new sleepwear out for him and he can see now that she made the bed.

When he lies down onto the now cool sheets she puts a pillow under his knee, "Don't say anything I know you're hurting and you can't stretch out the leg. You should have used the crutches. You are so stubborn sometimes. You comfortable like this?" She puts the light cover back over him and snuggles down next to him.

"Thank you, I'm fine."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay." They fall silent and Cath thinks that he went back to sleep when he starts talking in a quiet voice.

"It was my very first mission and my first day out in the desert with the team. There was a huge sandstorm and we got lost. It was a stupid mistake that separated us from the group. I was supposed to follow Ben, which I did, me and Jerry we followed without hesitation. We thought he knew what he was doing, I mean we were with them for just under twelve hours, totally green and still trying to figure out what to do. So we followed him and suddenly we were separated from the team, we couldn't see them anymore. They were just gone. It was clear that Ben had no idea where we were or how to get back to the team. Not even one day with them and already screwed. We couldn't see anything anymore and stopped to wait the storm out. Suddenly Ben was screaming, no idea what, the wind was way too loud and then he was gone and I was thrown through the air and crashed onto a dune. I lay head down half buried in the sand, I couldn't breathe; I couldn't move; I couldn't see anything. Everything hurt and I passed out. When I came to I was still lying in the sand, still almost completely covered with the hot sand and I still couldn't move. My legs just wouldn't do what I wanted them to. When I hit the ground I smashed into a rock and bruised my back, that's why I couldn't move. They found us a few hours later, Ben was fine and Jerry lost his hearing from the blast. I only had some bruises and after they injected some steroids the swelling which was minimal went down and I was fine. Guess it was more shock than an actual injury anyway."

"You never told me this."

"That was such a long time ago, no idea why I dreamed about it now and in such a nightmarish way. That was not that traumatic in the first place. Maybe my memory is coming back, but I'd rather remember some more recent events and not such long forgotten and long since dealt with stuff."

"You still don't remember much about the kidnapping?"

"No only bits and pieces. I'm still waiting for the sudden flash and my memory is back, but I don't think that will happen. Maybe I need to learn to live with the huge gaps that are there now. But if I won't recover them I won't pass the psych eval."

"You worried about it? The eval I mean," Cath knows that he is worried about the consequences if he won't pass his evaluation.

"JoJo said I shouldn't, but yeah I guess I am."

"JoJo is not doing it, right?"

"No, that would be a conflict of interest. I don't know who will do it."

"Steve don't worry; you mastered them in the past I'm sure you will be just fine."

"Hmmm."

It takes them a few more minutes but finally they are both asleep again.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

The sun is slowly going down and Danny is getting a little desperate, "You said we don't need to spend the night in the water. Where is that damn chopper Steve? How hard can it be to find us?"

"Danny I'm sure they are looking for us, but it's not that easy. They'll do what they can and the Navy will look for us even when it's getting dark. Don't worry Danny they will find us. You okay to swim some more?"

"Define 'some more'."

"Well as long as it takes. You tell me when you can't keep going. Danny it's okay if you can't go on anymore, you are really doing great."

"I'm okay," Danny is still able to keep his head above water, but he is not sure how long he will be able to keep it up. He's really tired and his legs are hurting and he can't even feel his shoulders anymore. To swim in the open water is very different to swimming in a pool and he never even liked that much. Sure he can swim, pretty well actually, but he never enjoyed it. Steve on the other hand doesn't seem to have any problems, well besides that he lost his lunch and passed out a couple of times, but the swimming part seems to be no effort for him whatsoever. Danny's respect for any SEAL went up quite a bit when he sees how effortless Steve is staying above the waves. He really seems to be in his element.

"Steve yesterday I got mail from JAG. They want to question me about Captain Neill. Why did it take so long until his fifteen minutes in court?"

"That was because of JoJo she told them that I was not ready to participate in court. I'm their key witness so they needed to wait for me to be cleared for duty. The first day of trial is next week."

"Are you okay with being called to the stand and tell them what happened?"

"I don't know Danny, I haven't even really talked it out with JoJo, every time we try, I need to stop. I just. . .Danny I'm sorry I can't think about it now."

"It's okay Steve we don't have to talk about it, I'm just worried that you have to go through that again in court."

"JoJo is still trying to get me off the witness list but I'm sure that will not happen. The prosecutor is very eager to get me up there. I'm not sure that I can do that."

"Hey we will all be there, you won't be alone. I'm sure you can do it, besides you passed your psych eval, so you're okay, right?"

"No Danny I'm not okay. I still have nightmares, I still get anxious when I'm alone, nothing major, nothing I can't handle, but I'm not okay. It will take a long time before I'm 'okay' again."

"You still see Dr. Jordan twice a week?"

"Yeah," Steve knows that Danny is still not comfortable with him seeing a therapist and in the last few weeks they never found the right moment to talk about it. "When you made all those jokes about me needing help and that I should see a therapist, you never thought that I'm actually seeing one, did you?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Steve is looking for a long moment at Danny and is not sure how to answer that, "Well when we met you were pretty vocal about how crazy you thought I am. You still are and I just didn't want you to make fun of me, well not more than you already do. I just didn't want to give you more ammunition about my mental state which you think is shot to hell anyway."

"Steve I made those comments as jokes, you do know that. I would never make fun of you and I really don't know why you think that," Danny is getting a little frustrated with his friend.

"Yes Danny I know that you mean those comments in good fun. But Danny I do see a therapist and there is a reason for that. I do need that help and that is why those comments are not so funny to me, because they are true. I know you would not have made those jokes if you knew I see JoJo, but I just couldn't tell you."

"That's okay, I just want you to know I don't think any different of you now that I know about it."

"Yes you do. And that is just normal, there are a lot of studies about that, maybe that's another reason why I didn't tell you. It is confidential and nobody's business but mine."

"But I'm your friend and I thought we don't keep secrets from each other."

"Danny I'm not keeping a secret from you. But I'm not running around and tell you about my doctor appointments."

"What doctor appointments?"

"Danny!"

"What? If you're sick I want to know, I can help."

"How can you help me, you want to hold my hand when I see Dr. Miles?"

"Who is Dr. Miles?"

"Danny just drop it, okay."

"No I won't drop it, you accused me of shutting you out, who is shutting one out now? If you need to see a doctor for something, Steve I like to know that, why wouldn't you tell me about it?"

"Because it's embarrassing, okay," Steve is looking at his friend and just knows that he needs to tell him. Danny is relentless and will not stop until he knows everything he wants to know or he thinks need to know. It's just what friendship is for him, you're there for your friends if they want it or not. It's what makes him a really great friend. "I had some problems after I got kicked by Jefferson," Steve is reluctantly telling him, "When I was with Cath it really hurt and we had to stop. After that got better I. . .I just couldn't get in the mood and nothing happened for a few weeks. The first four weeks out of the hospital I was in constant 'discomfort'. When Cath figured out that I had some trouble peeing she dragged me to an urologist the same day."

"My friend one word of advice never try to hide something from 'the woman', she will always find out and there is hell to pay for keeping it from her."

"Tell me about it."

"So she made you see some random urologist?"

"No, she hauled my ass to Dr. Miles, I started to see him a few years back when I was injured in the parachute accident, because of my kidneys. I've seen him once a year ever since. I intended to see him anyway, I just thought I wait it out some more, you know."

"So let me get this straight, you couldn't have sex with your girlfriend, you were in constant pain and couldn't pee and you wanted to wait it out? What the hell were you waiting for?"

"Danny did you ever saw an urologist? You have any idea what they do with a cystoscope? Trust me you don't want to know."

"I guess it's not much fun."

"No it's not and no matter how much local anesthetic they use it still hurts and is really uncomfortable. But they found the source for my problem, there was some scar tissue from when the Foley was ripped out when I first woke up in the ICU. They removed that and a few days later I was fine."

"No problems anymore?"

"None whatsoever," Steve is grinning at his friend.

"Please spare me the details."

"Hey you wanted me to share my stories with you."

"Doctor stories, not bed stories, Steve. You can keep those to yourself, thank you very much."

"Okay fine, anything you say Danno."

"Thank you."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading. Hope you still enjoy it.<strong>_

_**Here is a sneak peek into the next one.**_

**Chapter 14 – Kid's day out**

**Five weeks ago (85 days after the crash)**

Steve is exhausted and he can see that his companion is close to falling asleep on her feet. He has to smile a little, for a few minutes now Grace is not talking anymore. He is somewhat grateful for that because he is sure that she didn't stop talking the whole six hours they were on the big ship as Danny likes to call it. He just wished he counted the times he heard 'Uncle Steve' from her, surely she set a new record for it. She bombarded him with thousands of questions about everything and nothing.

"Gracie can we sit down for a few minutes before we go get the car," Steve is indicating a bench on the huge parking lot they just reached after they finally left the carrier.


	14. Chapter 14 Kid's day out

**Chapter 14 – Kid's day out**

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

The sun went down about half an hour ago and they can see a lot of stars above them, there are no clouds blocking the view. The night would be considered beautiful if they weren't in the middle of the freaking ocean as Danny calls it.

"It's dark Steven, the sun is down, where are your NAVY buddies?"

"I'm sure they're doing their best and will find us soon."

"You're saying that for hours now, but I didn't see any helicopters or ships or planes or whatever. What if they are not even looking?"

"Danny I don't know when they are going to find us, but I can guarantee you that they are looking for us and that they will not give up."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know the Navy and the Coast Guard, they don't give up. They WILL find us." Steve is looking at his friend, even though the sun went down they can still see each other just fine. He knows that it is scary for most people to be in open water with no land to see and even more so at night. He can see that Danny has to struggle for a while now to stay afloat, that it is not easy for him anymore. He is very amazed at how great Danny was doing all those hours but it is clear to him that he won't be able to keep it up much longer.

Steve is experiencing some dizzy spells in the last hour and is not sure why, his head is not hurting much, only a constant light pain on the right side that spikes every time his head is submerged. When a wave rolls over him he feels a sharp pain lacing through the right side of his head that lessens as soon as his head is above water again. For the last hour he is nauseous and feels like he is going to be sick again. Of course there is nothing left to throw up anyway. "Danny you need some rest, come on I hold you for a while," Steve is getting close to his friend.

"No I can keep going. I know you're still sick and your head hurts; if you overexert yourself you might pass out again. I'll be fine," but his words are proven false by the next higher wave that is just rolling over Danny and he has to fight to come back to the surface again. The wind picked up in the last half hour and the waves are getting higher.

"Danny come here before you really get into trouble," Steve is getting closer to Danny again and turns him onto his back and holds him in a secure hold, "Just relax I've got you."

Now that he is resting against Steve, Danny can feel how very exhausted he is. His arms are feeling like they are made of lead and his legs are screaming at him, just seconds from cramping. He is not willing to give into his exhaustion but he knows that Steve is right if he will not get a break he will risk drowning. He trusts Steve to know what is best in a situation like this, it is what he is trained for after all. Besides if he is too weak to swim than he won't be able to help Steve when he is passing out again, which he has no doubt will happen. He knows for sure that Steve is feeling like crap, that he is dizzy and sick and that he is not giving in to it because of him. So maybe this is good for the both of them. He is very worried that his friend suffered a serious head injury again, but they are in the water for hours now and Steve seems fine except that he passes out for a few minutes once in a while, but in between he is pretty well. If he had a serious concussion that would not be the case. He really wonders what is wrong with his friend when he feels himself being pushed away a little from Steve but still held in a secure grip, while his friend is throwing up again. Not much is coming out anymore, since every last piece of food is long gone. After some coughing he is pulled back against Steve again. "Sorry about that," Steve pants out while he is starting to swim again.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine Danny. Just relax."

"Why are you swimming I thought we should preserve energy?"

"That was hours ago, now we have no choice, it's way easier to keep you up while on the move than just staying in one spot. Just lean back and enjoy the ride."

"Okay," Danny is trying to help a little but Steve was right he really is not able to swim anymore.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five weeks ago (85 days after the crash)**

Steve is exhausted and he can see that his companion is close to falling asleep on her feet. He has to smile a little, for a few minutes now Grace is not talking anymore. He is somewhat grateful for that because he is sure that she didn't stop talking the whole six hours they were on the big ship as Danny likes to call it. He just wished he counted the times he heard 'Uncle Steve' from her, surely she set a new record for it. She bombarded him with thousands of questions about everything and nothing.

"Gracie can we sit down for a few minutes before we go get the car," Steve is indicating a bench on the huge parking lot they just reached after they finally left the carrier.

"Uncle Steve does your leg hurt?"

"Yes a little, but I will be fine don't worry," Steve is gingerly sitting down and carefully stretches his leg out.

"Uncle Steve do you need to take your medicine again?"

"No Gracie not yet. Thanks for taking care of me earlier, you did really good."

"Does it always hurt so bad Uncle Steve? I don't want you to be in pain," Grace looks at him with worry in her eyes that reminds him so much of Danny.

"No Gracie not every time, but sometimes it does. But it's only for a short while and the medication is really helping me, so it is okay. We talked about that before."

"I know you explained it, but I don't want you to be sick Uncle Steve. When will you be better?"

"Just a couple more weeks and I will be fine again," Steve is looking down at Grace who is leaning against him and looks like she is falling asleep any minute now.

Steve is enjoying the rest and quiet for a few minutes, his leg started to hurt a while ago and now he has some problems to walk without a pronounced limp. His ankle does not have the full range of motion yet, it is far away from working properly.

"Gracie you ready to go home yet? Gracie," Steve is looking at Grace and can see now that she fell asleep. The question now is to wake her or simply carry her to the car, he decides that the latter is probably the simplest solution. So he is just shifting her a little and stands up with her head resting on his shoulder while he is holding her with his left arm. She is becoming semi-awake but just hugs him around his neck and nestles more on his shoulder. They reach the car and after Grace is secured in her seat they are on their way.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Do you think they are okay? What is taking them so long," Danny is pacing in the kitchen.

"Danny will you please calm down? You called them every hour, if I were them I wouldn't answer the phone anymore either," Cath is smiling at him. She can understand him, she was worried a little herself when Grace and Steve left in the morning. But she knows that Steve would have called if they needed any help, if he would have gotten sick from his injection he had to take about three hours ago, "I'm sure they've had a lot of fun and will be back soon. Why didn't you go with them if you're so worried?"

"I don't want Steve to think that I don't trust him. I know that he is capable of taking care of himself and Grace even though he needs to take his medication while they are 'out'. I'm just worried that he got sick. But I think it's important that he does this alone."

"Danny don't worry Steve had a long talk with Gracie about his medication, he explained all of it to her so that she is not scared when he is taking one. He even let her inject him, just in case. She did that like a pro. She is totally cool about it. And she knows what to do if he is going to have a bad reaction. He explained to her that she needs to call you as soon as he gets sick. Don't worry Danny they will be fine."

"She's cool with all that?"

"Yeah Danny, your daughter is a smart kid and she asked about it. So Steve told her why he needs to take it and what would happen if he misses an injection. He told her what to do in an emergency and not to be scared if he got dizzy or is in pain for a few minutes. They will both be fine."

Just then they hear Steve opening the front door, Grace right next to him talking a mile a minute, while Steve is patiently smiling down at her.

"Please please Uncle Steve can we do that, please?"

"In a few weeks Gracie and only if your dad is coming with us."

"Oh okay. Uncle Steve," she is motioning for him to lean down and whispers something in his ear.

"Okay I will," she is beaming at him and finds time now to say hello to her dad and Catherine who are still patiently waiting to get acknowledged.

"Monkey how was your trip to the big ship?"

"Danno it is a carrier. It was great, we were allowed to see the bridge because Steve knows one of the officers. He showed me everything, Daddy you can get really lost it is so big. John let us stay in his cabin for a while when Steve needed to take his medication. He got a little sick but I took good care of him and we didn't need to call you. When Uncle Steve didn't need to lay down anymore we went to see all the planes and helicopters on the flight deck. Davy let me sit in his jet, that was really cool."

"Who is Davy?"

"Steve's friend he showed us all the planes."

"So you had fun?"

"Yes Daddy it was so cool. Next time you have to come you would like it."

While Grace was telling them about their day Steve sits gratefully down on the couch and puts his hurting leg up. His last pain pill was over eight hours ago and he could feel the pain getting worse for a few hours now and his back is killing him. It still hurts ever since the first attack at the Hilton last night. To carry Grace was not his best idea today, his back and leg are not very happy with him right now. Now that he is sitting down he can feel how very tired he is. He would never have guessed it but a full dose of 'excited Grace' is more than just a handful. She really tired him out.

"Uncle Steve are you feeling okay? Does your leg hurt again? You were limping after we went up and down all those steps."

"I'm fine Gracie, my leg hurts only a little don't worry."

Grace is looking at him like she is not believing him but doesn't say anything to him. "Catherine can I talk to you for a minute in the kitchen," Danny and Steve are looking at Grace, who really sounds like a grownup at the moment. So very different from the very excited kid that was just telling them about her adventurous day. They are looking after the two 'women' disappearing into the kitchen out of earshot.

"So she tired you out, didn't she," Danny can see how worn out Steve is looking.

"Yeah she wouldn't stop talking for a second, I think she didn't even stop for breathing. I had no idea that someone can ask so many questions. But it was really great with her and I'm pretty sure she had a lot of fun. Your daughter is a very smart and enthusiastic kid Danny, she should be encouraged to try all the things she is interested in. Are you okay with me taking her to a special swim course, she wants to surprise you but I won't take her without your permission first."

"What swim course, she can swim."

"It's the first step for scuba diving, she is too young and small for that at the moment, but she can learn how to snorkel. We would do that in the pool first and at the end of the course she will get a 'license' to snorkel. That will be the basis for later when she will be able to scuba dive."

"Is that safe? I mean she is just nine."

"Danny kids are allowed to dive when they are ten, some schools allow even eight year olds to get their first course, but I think that is too young. But snorkeling will be perfectly safe for her, even when we let her dive with a tank in the future she will only be allowed to dive about three meters and I will always be right next to her."

"You watch her the whole time?"

"Yes Danny I won't let her out of my sight."

"Okay sure why not. Who better to show her to do that than you?"

"Don't tell her you know about it. It's her big surprise."

The two girls are back and Catherine has suddenly the same worried expression as Grace on her face. She wordlessly sits down next to Steve on the couch and takes his hand in hers. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. What's gotten into you two?"

"Grace told me that you were in bad pain when you took your medication and that your back was not getting much better, but that you were not willing to leave before she saw everything she wanted to see."

"Uncle Steve but now you're home and you can lay down so that your back is not hurting so much anymore."

"Gracie that is very sweet of you that you're worried but really I'm fine. I'm going to take something for it in a few minutes and I will be much better really soon. You don't have to worry about me, I will be fine."

"Gracie why don't we two get the barbecue going while Catherine takes care of Steve, that okay for you," Danny is looking at his daughter and is very proud of her that she is so observant and concerned for other people's wellbeing. She agrees to that and soon they can be heard puttering around the kitchen.

Catherine is helping Steve upstairs and finally out of sight of Grace he can give in to the pain in his back that got a lot worse in the last minutes.

"Grace was right when she told me that your back hurts really really badly, wasn't she? Her exact words by the way," Steve is leaning on Catherine and they are just entering the bedroom.

"She is very observant, probably picked that up from her dad. Yeah my back is really bad, I can't stand upright and carrying Grace was not my best idea lately. Ankle hurts too, only my knee is not so bad," with that he sits down on the bed, gets rid of his boots and lies down on the covers. His back is screaming at him when he stretches out so he turns on his side and sighs in content when he can feel instant relief from the hammering pain in his lower back.

"You want me to get you one of the prescription pills?"

"Yeah but I need two if I want to get up again."

"How many can you take?"

"Mark said up to two is okay, but not more than four in twenty four hours. I only had one this morning, so I'm good for two now." Steve closes his eyes and hopes for the throbbing in his ankle to stop. His back is sending daggers of pain up his spine and he hopes that the pain medication is helping with that too.

"You walked around way too much today and again without your crutches I might add," Cath is telling him when she is back with two capsules of his pain pills and a bottle of water. "You should sleep a little before you come back down."

"Hmmm."

Cath has to smile when she sees that he is already half asleep, she is silently leaving to join the others. Chin and Kono should be here soon and she hopes that a little nap will help Steve to feel better when he wakes up.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day _(16_ _weeks after the crash)_**

Catherine is looking over to Chin and Kono who are standing in one corner of the command center of the Coast Guard. Cath was able to get them all into it, so they can hear firsthand when their friends will be found. It is past eleven p. m., which means that the two friends are in the water for over eight hours by now. They can suddenly hear the radio communication from one of the Search and Rescue helicopters.

"Base we're seeing flashes in the distance, we will check that out."

"Rescue 103 please specify."

"Base we see something that might be muzzle flashes, we know more in a minute."

"Rescue 103 keep us posted."

"Base we found them. . .our man is in the water now, one of them seems to have trouble to stay afloat but is held up by the other. . .rescue is on the way, first one is getting up now. . .first one is on board, getting back down to get the other."

"Rescue 103 what's the condition of the men?"

"Base we get back to you on that. . .second guy is secured and on his way up. . .will update you."

Cath, Chin and Kono are listening intently to the short communication, obviously both men are alive but they still don't know in what condition.

"Base we have some information from the medic, the one we picked up first is Detective Williams, his temperature is too low and he seems to have minor injuries but is coherent. Commander McGarrett passed out when we had him on board, he's not responsive, looks like a head and back injury. We're taking them to Queens Medical. ETA is about fifteen minutes."

"Rescue 103 good work!"

"Rescue 103 out."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>In case someone is wondering if a gun can be fired after so many hours in the water, well my research says an automatic weapon should still work. That scene is taken from an episode (Adrift Part 2) of JAG, after Harm spend many hours in the ocean he alerted the SAR-Chopper to his position by firing his weapon. Well if Cmdr. Harmon Rabb can do that, Steve and Danny can do the same. :-)<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Thanks again for reading. I would really love to hear from you.<strong>_

_**And as always a little peek into the next one.**_

**Chapter 15 – Listen to your doctor**

**Present Day (16 weeks after the crash)**

Catherine, Chin and Kono are finally allowed to see their friends. They were waiting for two hours now in the waiting area and no one was willing to tell them anything. They only learned speculations that were flying around about the extents of the injuries their friends sustained. They ranged from broken neck over head injury to severe hypothermia. In the end they don't know anything concrete, but were almost in panic when they saw Steve being wheeled out of one of the trauma rooms with a neck brace on and lying strapped on a backboard and disappearing into the area where the MRI is located. They didn't see Danny at all, only doctors everywhere and it just seemed like chaos but they knew that there was complete order to it.


	15. Chapter 15 Listen to your doctor

_**Just a little more than two weeks to the premiere of season 2. After the great extended Promo this morning September 19th can't come fast enough.**_

_**Of course the nine days after September 10th will be extremely hard, since I want to avoid spoilers. Any ideas how to do that without avoiding the internet completely? Guess that will be like in the hilarious episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' where the gang wants to avoid to know how the Superbowl ended. I guess it is no surprise that they were not successful. **_

_**Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter, if so let me know. If not, well yeah drop me a line too and tell me what you didn't like. Only way to do better is with the help of constructive criticism. So sharpen your pens and send me a pm or a review. Believe me you will make my day.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 – Listen to your doctor<strong>

**Present Day (16 weeks after the crash)**

Catherine, Chin and Kono are finally allowed to see their friends. They were waiting for two hours now in the waiting area and no one was willing to tell them anything. They only learned speculations that were flying around about the extents of the injuries their friends sustained. They ranged from broken neck over head injury to severe hypothermia. In the end they don't know anything concrete, but were almost in panic when they saw Steve being wheeled out of one of the trauma rooms with a neck brace on and lying strapped on a backboard and disappearing into the area where the MRI is located. They didn't see Danny at all, only doctors everywhere and it just seemed like chaos but they knew that there was complete order to it.

Chin is carefully opening the door to the private room they were so familiar with all those weeks ago. Difference now is that there are two beds in it. In the dim light of a small lamp in the corner they can see that Danny and Steve are sleeping in their beds, one under a heating blanket and the other just under a light cover. Danny is almost not visible under the huge heating blanket that is still in place to bring his temperature back to normal. The only visible injury is a big bruise on his temple and his left side of the face is lightly swollen. Steve is sporting a bandage on his forehead and a weird looking brace on his right ankle that is sneaking out under the cover. But the neck brace is gone and they both seem to rest peacefully if the light snoring is any indication.

Danny is the first to open his eyes when he hears a whispered conversation, "Hey."

"Danny how you're feeling," Catherine is softly kissing his forehead the almost only visible part of him.

"Where's Steve?"

"Right here in the other bed, don't worry Danny he is right here. He is still sleeping, so how are you," Cath gets a little out of the way so that he can take a look at his friend, who is not stirring at all in his sleep.

"He was so sick Cath, but he kept swimming for the both of us when I just couldn't anymore, he saved my life."

"Not true," comes the soft voice from the other bed, "You saved me, you kept me afloat every time I passed out," Steve tells everyone without opening his eyes. He is worried that if he does open them or move at all that he will get dizzy and sick again, he can still feel the rolling sensation of the waves, makes him slightly nauseous.

"Hey sailor welcome back," Cath is bending down and very gently kisses her boyfriend who is now slowly opening his eyes to look sleepily at her.

"Hi," he struggles to not fall asleep right away again but can feel that it's a lost cause, _probably gave me something to sleep anyway_, so he just gives in to it and his wakefulness only lasts a few seconds longer.

Dr. Hope is just entering then to explain what their injuries are and what the prognosis is.

"I'm really sorry you had to wait so long, but we had some emergencies and I'm the only neurosurgeon at the moment I just have a few minutes before I need to leave again. Sorry about that." He is going to Danny and takes his temperature, "Hi Danny how do you feel now, still nauseous, does your head still hurt?"

"Not really I'm just a bit cold."

"Good. You have a concussion but nothing to worry about, you can leave in forty eight hours. I just like to keep you a little longer because you were not just in the early stages of hypothermia, I want to make sure that you're really okay before you leave. You got quite a lot of bruises all over your body, but also nothing serious. You were very lucky," he is smiling down at his patient.

"What about Steve he was really sick and he passed out so many times," Danny is very worried that he again suffered a serious head injury, "Is his head okay?"

"He is fine. He was very lucky to have you around or he would have surely drowned. He does not have a head injury. The bump to his head did no damage, but the blast of the explosion ruptured the eardrum in his right ear. When the cold seawater got into his middle ear it caused the nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and the pain in his head. He suffered no hearing loss, the rupture is very small and we don't need to do much about it. He will get antibiotics so he won't get an infection and the rupture will heal in about one or two weeks on its own. While healing he might still experience some vertigo and he can't go swimming for at least those two weeks and no diving for another two. He has some badly bruised ribs and it seems that he received a really hard hit to his lower back but he will be perfectly fine in a couple of weeks."

"He thought he was 'seasick', I knew that was crazy."

"Danny that is not crazy, Steve had motion sickness as a child, last time that he was seasick was in a storm in the Atlantic. My driving makes him sick at times, but I'm pretty sure that is just an excuse so he can drive all the time."

"It's not, Danny's driving is even worse, that 'really' makes me sick," Steve just woke up again and is now grinning at his friend who is looking at him somewhat unbelieving.

"If you get me a slip from your doctor then I might consider letting you drive my car again," but Danny is smiling knowing that he will let his friend drive anyway, well most of the time.

"Steve did you hear what I told your friends about your injuries," Mark Hope is now checking Steve's pupils again with the penlight and takes his temperature in his left ear, not touching the hurt right one.

"Yeah most of it. Why can I still hear perfectly?"

"Hearing loss is not always the case with a burst eardrum. You were lucky. But you need to be careful going up and down the stairs, vertigo can hit you at any second. You can't work for a couple of days, you have to stay here with Danny, I'll let you out together and I want to see you both again in a week. I'm pretty sure you will be past the dizziness by then. I'm going to prescribe something for the pain in your back when you leave. Please follow my advice this time Steve, you still need to rest even though I declared you fit for duty, but your body still needs more sleep than before your injury. Don't run yourself down."

"I'll be careful and will rest. What about my ankle what's the brace for?"

"The orthopedic surgeon will tell you in the morning in detail, short form is you have some badly sprained ligaments. The brace will let you move your ankle up and down but not sideways. He will tell you all about it, but I think you need to have the brace on for about four weeks but you will be able to walk pretty normally. It will keep your ankle stable so keep it on."

Steve has to struggle to stay awake, "Did you give me some sedatives? I can't seem to stay awake."

"No we didn't but I gave you some pretty strong pain meds, Steve give in to it, go to sleep, don't fight it." Dr. Hope is checking the IV's on both men before he leaves again. "I'll come by later again and check on them again, but I don't expect any complications. They are basically just exhausted and bruised. A little sleep and they are as good as new."

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny Williams wakes to a sound he can't identify; he becomes aware that the room is still illuminated by the small lamp in the corner of their hospital room. He notices that his IV is gone, a nurse must have been in while he was asleep. There is that strange noise again; sounds like a mixture of groaning and kind of whimpering. One look over to the bed of his friend shows him that Steve is restlessly shifting in his bed. He is tangled in his bed cover and it seems that he is fighting to get out of it, but Danny can see that he is still asleep.

"No. . .please let go," Danny is out of his bed by the first words of his friend who is now obviously in distress.

Without even thinking Danny grabs Steve's shoulder and tries to calm him, but before he can even address him, Danny finds himself being punched in the face, blood is flowing freely instantly and he has no idea how Steve managed to wrestle him down to the floor and into a choke hold all in one swift motion.

Black spots are dancing in front of his eyes and if Steve is not letting go in the next few seconds he will pass out, "Steve! It's me, let go," he croaks out. But it is obvious that Steve is not aware of what he is doing. With only seconds to go Danny does the only thing he can do in his position; he rams his elbow into Steve's bruised rips. That still doesn't let Steve loosen his hold; only elicit a load groan. Danny repeats his action, harder this time, he cringes when he can hear and feel the crack of a rib. Suddenly he is free and he crawls away desperately sucking in some air. Turning he can see Steve lying on the floor, obviously in pain, coughing and holding his ribs.

"Danny what the hell. . .argh fuck." Steve is grabbing at his leg, when he 'jumped' out of bed he landed hard on his hurt ankle. He is looking around disoriented and trying to figure out why he is on the floor with busted ribs, a hurting ankle and a lower back that is hurting so bad that he has a hard time not to cry out.

"Steve you with me?"

"What? Why are we on the floor? You're bleeding. . .what. . .shit. . .Danny did I do that?"

"It's okay was my fault, don't worry, it's just a nosebleed, nothing broken. Can you get up?"

"No, can you give me a hand," Steve is looking up at Danny with pain clearly edged on his face. Together they manage to get Steve off the floor and back in his bed, where he lies again on his side, panting, biting his lower lip and waiting for the agony in his back to abate.

"Danny, why did I hit you?"

"You were having a nightmare and got tangled in your sheets and I was stupid enough to touch you. You came at me like a bat out of hell. I was on the floor in a second flat and you had me in a choke-hold, Steve I'm sorry but I think I broke one of your ribs."

"Don't think so, they feel okay, are hurting but not that bad. I think I twisted my ankle despite the brace, hurts like hell. I'm sorry about your nose, you okay?" Steve is moving onto his back and changes the position of the bed so that his legs are elevated and all pressure is taken off his back.

"Yeah I'm fine don't worry. How bad is your back, do you need me to call the doctor," Danny is putting the light cover over his friend who is now lying very still and has his eyes closed again. "Steve?"

"I'll be okay, rooms spinning right now give me a minute."

"Be right back, just going to wash the blood off," Danny looks down at his friend who still looks like he is in extreme pain. Danny debates for a second to press the call button but decides against it, he will give him a minute just like he asked for. When he reaches the bathroom he gets a little dizzy, which reminds him that he is not allowed to get out of bed until morning. He grabs the sink and holds on to it until the room stops spinning. He wonders how Steve could handle being dizzy and nauseous a few times a day for months, he knows that he would have gone stir crazy. It slowly dawns on him how hard that time must have really been for his partner and that it is no wonder that he is or at least was so very sensitive about how people treated him.

He thought that by shielding his friend from a lot of stuff in the office and making decisions for him that he was helping him, but it becomes more and more clear to him that he only made it a lot worse for him. He only had Steve's best interest in mind, but he can now see that he should have told him what he was doing. _It seems like we need to learn to talk to each other more._ Danny finishes up with his cleaning the blood off and changes into another hospital sleep shirt. Before he leaves he answers the call of nature and is ready to face his friend again.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is lying in his bed and tries to get past the excruciating pain in his back that is now pounding with great intensity into his lower back. It feels like someone is swinging a hammer into it again and again, last time it was this bad was a few weeks back at the Hilton. Only difference is that he really did get hit this time around. He really doesn't want to see the bruise that he can practically feel still forming. His lower right ribs are also hurting and maybe Danny did break one after all. Now that he is lying still it hurts a lot more than a few minutes ago.

He can hear Danny in the bathroom and hopes that he didn't break his friend's nose. But he thinks that there was not enough blood for that. Well he hopes so. Just then Danny is coming back out of the bathroom.

"Hey you okay," Steve asks his friend who is now slowly sitting down on his bed.

"Yeah I'm just a bit dizzy. How could you stand that for so long, drives me crazy."

"Didn't have much of a choice and besides you get used to it. Danny do you have a call button, I can't find mine."

"Yeah, you need something for your back?"

"It's killing me."

It only takes a few minutes for a nurse to answer their call, she tells Steve that Dr. Hope left some orders for pain medication for when he wakes up. She is back with a shot for him within a minute, she administers that right into his IV port that is still there even though no line is attached to it anymore. Steve can feel the relief almost instantly and he starts to relax, his erratic breathing returns to normal in a matter of minutes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, call me if either of you need anything," Dorothy leaves them again with the promise to check on them before her shift is over in an hour.

"Steve you tired?"

"No. The drug was not narcotic I'm fine. Danny you should lie back down, your head will start to hurt again if you don't and thank you Danny."

"For what," Danny is getting back under the cover and turns onto his side so that he can still see his friend.

"For trying to comfort me. Sorry we ended up on the floor."

"Yeah well next time I'm just going to use a stick or something."

"Not such a bad idea."

H50 – H50 – H50

**Four weeks ago (90 _days after the crash)_**

Steve had a really busy week, he had a lot of physical therapy with some very painful exercises, but he doesn't need his crutches anymore. He can almost walk without a limp again, so all the hard work paid off. He is now sitting in the waiting room of Colonel Zane's Office. She asked him to come see him before he sees Dr. Jordan. She wants to take a look at his ankle, to make sure that he is following her orders. After the disaster at Queens with the orthopedic surgeon on call who didn't catch the problem Steve had with his ankle and after he fled the hospital and made his new doctor pretty angry he asked Dr. Zane if he could keep seeing her. She was the only one at Tripler who he trusts after the episode with Dr. Neill. And of course she came to see him the night after his rather adventurous day and she did a pretty good job with his ankle.

"Commander McGarrett. Good to see you back on your two feet, please come in."

"Thank you Colonel for seeing me."

"Not a problem, Mark told me about the problem with your doctor. Did he really say you need to toughen up?"

"Yeah," Steve is grinning at her while he gets rid of his boots and socks.

"Unbelievable. Well let's take a look at you."

Steve is sitting on the treatment couch while she is taking a look at his foot, "how is your range of motion?" She is rotating his ankle, but he stiffens it up when she pushes sideways too much.

"Up and down is back at almost hundred percent but I have some problems with sideways, it's still only at about fifty percent, argh, that hurts."

"Sorry, you're right sideways is not working very good. You need to work on that some more. Did you do the exercises in the water? That works better for most people." She is still rotating his ankle.

"Argh, can you stop that? I'm in the water every day, but it's not helping much."

"Your ligaments shortened while your ankle was immobilized, that's why it hurts so much. Listen I want you to do this with Catherine, she needs to move your foot just like I did. If you're both home tonight I'll come over and show her how to do it, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah we're home, but Cath will leave at around eight."

"Steve you all right? Sorry I hurt you. Now drop your pants."

"What?"

"Drop your pants, I want to take a look at your knee, abdomen and belly" Dr. Zane is expectantly looking at him.

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you, this is your three month follow up. You were in the crash three month ago, now I want to take a look at your injuries. Mark is keeping up with your head and I'm doing the other stuff. Now drop it and lay down," she is now smiling at him.

Steve is only reluctantly following her order, when he does she starts with his knee that is still colored a deep purple with edges of yellow. The bruise starts at his kneecap and goes about five inches down his shin and it's about hand wide.

"Does movement hurt," she is carefully moving is knee.

"No not at all, only pressing on it, argh, like that, hurts," Steve starts to regret his decision to see Dr. Zane today.

"That looks pretty good, you were lucky not to have injured your joint. It's really just superficial. It should keep healing nicely. Now let me see your ribs and belly," she is pushing his t-shirt out of the way and gently probes his ribcage. "The incision is healed very nicely, it's almost not visible. Whoever did that, did a really great job. There is still some bruising, do you have any problems, any pain while moving?"

"No not really. When I fell last week it hurt for a moment, but then I was fine."

"Good. Now your abdomen is really a mess, I'm not even going to touch it, how many more injections?"

"Around sixty. There is just no place that is not bruised. If I press too hard on it, I gonna puke. Every injection really hurts by now."

"So about two more weeks and you're done?"

"Hopefully, yeah."

"Okay I'm going to take a look at your belly," she gently lowers the waistband of his briefs.

If he knew he had to drop his pants today he would have opted for boxers and not some navy briefs. She is very gently pressing on his belly and seems not very satisfied with her findings, "Steve are you still in pain?"

"Only when you press on it, sometimes when I sit for too long at a time. But other than that, no."

"Mark told me about your 'surgery', do you still have any problems?"

"No. A few days after it I was fine."

"Okay good, but still, I like to see you again in a week. You can put your pants back on now. Everything looks relatively fine, but we need to do something for your ankle and I like to keep an eye on your belly. Tonight I come by your house and show Cath how to 'torture' you most effectively."

"Great. Can't wait," but he is smiling at her.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading. <strong>_

_**Here is the sneak peek into the next one, you will see Midshipman McGarrett again. ;-)**_

**Chapter 16 - Let's talk**

**Four weeks ago (90 _days after the crash)_**

After Steve left the office of Dr. Zane, now with a pronounced limp again after she moved his ankle so painfully sideways, he goes to see JoJo. He only had a very short phone conversation with her since he went AWOL a week ago. He didn't tell her about how he left shortly after he was alone. He called her again this morning and she squeezed him in, they were not scheduled to have any meetings this week because JoJo was on the mainland since Sunday; she just came back last night.

He is sitting in the outer office and waits anxiously for JoJo to come back from whatever meeting she is just attending.


	16. Chapter 16 Let's talk

**Chapter 16 – Let's talk**

**Four weeks ago (90 _days after the crash)_**

After Steve left the office of Dr. Zane, now with a pronounced limp again after she moved his ankle so painfully sideways, he goes to see JoJo. He only had a very short phone conversation with her since he went AWOL a week ago. He didn't tell her that he left shortly after he was alone. He called her again this morning and she squeezed him in, they were not scheduled to have any meetings this week because JoJo was on the mainland since Sunday; she just came back last night.

He is sitting in the outer office and waits anxiously for JoJo to come back from whatever meeting she is just attending.

_**Outside Dr. Jordan's office**_

"Captain Jordan can I have a word with you," Colonel Patricia Zane is addressing her colleague.

"Yes of course Colonel how can I help you?"

"I'm a little worried about Commander McGarrett. Mark and I were called to see him last Friday night."

"Friday night? Why?"

"Oh you don't know? He 'escaped' the night before at 2 am and had a pretty interesting day, from a car accident to getting shot. Don't panic he is fine. I'm just worried that he isn't getting the rest he needs. I know his friends try to shield him from most everything but I'm afraid that's not enough. He shouldn't work, his head injury is still bothering him and he should listen to his body."

"I'm sorry I don't really agree. I'm going to see them later today and will address that. They're shutting him out and Steve doesn't like that at all. By shielding him from everything they don't do him any favors. I know he needs to rest more than he does, but keeping him out of the loop is not the right way. He really left the hospital in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah he sneaked out, was a perfectly executed op. No one saw or heard anything. That he was gone was discovered four hours later. Mark was livid."

"That little weasel, fooled us all. Again. I think I need to have a talk with him," JoJo is smiling when she thinks about the other time she had a talk like that with McGarrett.

_**Annapolis, January 1996**_

"_Ma'am Midshipman McGarrett is here to see you."_

"_Yes Petty Officer led him in please," Commander Jordan is watching McGarrett standing at attention before her desk. She is letting him stand there and ignores him for the moment. _Let him sweat a little._ She is almost smiling to herself. Normally not her style but she needs to calm down about the stunt he pulled so she lets him stand there a little while longer._

"_McGarrett have a seat please," she was debating to keep him standing but that would give him the advantage of his height so she puts him in a seat._

"_Thank you ma'am."_

"_You know why you're here?"_

"_I can guess ma'am."_

"_Only guess McGarrett? Are there more incidents that need to be addressed?"_

"_No ma'am."_

_For the first time she is now really looking at McGarrett, he looks extremely pale and the bruise on his cheek is the only color in his face, he has a brace on his left wrist and she knows that he has a lot of bruises all over his body. He was beaten up just a day ago, badly so by some Army guys who didn't like the group of young cadets that were celebrating the victory of their football team. Navy won against the Army again but in the fight they lost big time. McGarrett was hurt the worst, because he didn't fight back, he just took the beating, like he wanted to get punished, something she will address in their next meeting, but not today. Today is reserved for his disappearing act._

"_Steve are you okay, are you hurting?"_

"_I'm fine. . .JoJo," he is now smiling for the first time since he came to see her._

"_Okay. I'm very mad at you right now. You lied to me," she would swear that he blanched even more by her accusation. _

"_I didn't lie," Steve is only whispering, he was worried that she would be mad at him._

"_I asked you if you would be all right in the hospital last night and you said and I quote 'yes I'm really tired I will probably be asleep in a minute'. If I remember right you left shortly after. Without permission by the way."_

"_I said probably, technically I didn't lie," he is not looking at her and so he misses the little smile that JoJo can't hide._

"_I will let that slide and not comment on it. You still left the hospital without permission. Why did you do that? Give me one good reason why you should be spared a punishment."_

"_Mr. and Mrs. Roves are here for a memorial. I needed to be there and the doctor didn't want to let me go. I'm sorry but that was the least I needed to do for Tim. I had to be there."_

"_Why didn't you tell me that? Steve you need to learn to trust people that they will help you if you ask for it. People will be there for you, you just have to open up to them."_

"_I try to do that, really I do, but what if I told you and you would have said no? I would have gone no matter what, in not telling you I didn't betray you since you didn't know."_

"_Steve you can't make that decision for me. How do you think I feel now, you don't trust me and I thought you did."_

"_I do."_

"_No you don't. If you did you would have told me. You will lose people if you don't change your behavior. You will not come far if you only trust yourself."_

"_I know. I'm sorry I misled you. I will try to ask people for help, I'll try to do better."_

"_Good. Did you go to the memorial?"_

"_Yes ma'am. Mr. and Mrs. Roves were very nice, I told them how sorry I was, but they said it was __not my fault," Steve is speaking very softly, the loss of his friend is still hurting him deeply._

"_It was not your fault Steve. I'm going to recommend not to punish you for disappearing like that. You're in luck because your discharge papers for the next morning were already filed when you left, so technically you didn't went AWOL. You will not always be so lucky."_

"_Thank you ma'am."_

"_Yeah. When you leave make a new appointment for next week. And I don't want to hear about a stunt like that again."_

"_Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am."_

"_Just go," something about this young man gets to JoJo every time she sees him. _

Maybe because he reminds her so much of her eldest son she is thinking when she enters her office.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Commander can I get you a coffee or a soda," Penny is asking. She is JoJo's assistant for about two years know.

"No thank you Petty Officer."

"Let me know if you change your mind," she is smiling at him. "I'm sure Captain Jordan will be here any minute." As if on cue JoJo comes in to meet with her patient.

"Steve please come in," she leads the way into her office behind the double door.

"Thank you for seeing me today," Steve is sitting down in his usual chair in front of her desk, while she is sitting down next to him and not behind her desk like she normally does. When Steve called her to ask to see her, she could hear that he was really in need to speak with her about something. And now she can see that he is not looking good, he looks tired and is not his usual calm self. She worried when she saw him limping so heavily when he came in.

"What's with your ankle, still not better?"

"What? No it's fine, I just saw Dr. Zane and she tested the range of motion, that hurts somewhat. But it will be okay in a few minutes."

"Good. Steve how are you doing, you look tired, are you sleeping okay?"

"No I'm not. I got a letter from JAG on Monday and Cath is not home at night, she stepped in for an officer on her former position for the week. Normally her job is pretty much nine to five with most weekends off, but not this week."

"Is this the first week you're alone at night?"

"Yeah. JAG wants a statement from me about my last night at Tripler. I started on the report on Monday after Cath left but didn't get very far. That night I woke up from the first nightmare. I couldn't go back to sleep and. . ."

"You remember what you dreamed about?"

"Yeah. I woke up drenched in sweat, screaming. I was restrained and couldn't get away, I couldn't breathe and someone was coming at me, that's when I woke up. Took a while to get back to sleep and when I did the same dream came again. After that I couldn't fall asleep again," Steve is telling her while he is massaging his right temple where the headache is located that is bugging him for a day now. Mark told him that he need to sleep at least eight hours a day or his headache would come back with a vengeance.

"Steve does your head hurt? Did you see Mark?"

"Yeah I did, there is nothing much to be done about it, he said lack of sleep is causing it" he is leaning his head back and takes a few deep breaths.

"Did you only have that dream on Monday," although JoJo already knows the answer to that she still asks.

"No, every damn night. JoJo I can't sleep anymore, I'm so tired but I can't fall asleep at night. I took a few cat naps at the office, the team thinks I fall asleep because of my physical therapy. But truth is I'm so damn tired I could fall asleep while standing up."

"When you sleep during the day, do you dream?"

"No I sleep like a baby, yesterday Danny woke me after three hours."

"So basically you sleep just fine as long as you're not alone in your bed?"

"Yeah. I don't handle being alone very well. I always enjoyed being alone, that's why I 'ran' last week," he is looking up to see her reaction to that revelation, but obviously she is already informed about his disappearing act, "but right now I can't stand it. I get very anxious, I guess you could say I'm a bit clingy at the moment," he smiles somewhat sheepishly at her.

"Steve you know that will pass with time, don't worry about that. It's still the concussion messing with you. But I'm a bit concerned about your nightmares, you haven't had a lot of problems with them for a few years now. Do you think we can talk about that night at the hospital?"

Steve is looking at JoJo and can already feel that his pulse is quickening and his breathing gets faster. He can feel how the level of his panic is rising, as is the pain level in his head, but it's slow going and he still has it under control, but he is not sure for how much longer, "Okay." He knows that he needs to talk about it at some point.

"Steve I put the order never to restrain you in your medical file without really knowing why you're so absolutely horrified by restraints. Your problem is not the night at the hospital but the memory that got triggered by it. Can you tell me about it?"

"No," Steve has trouble breathing by now and he is a bit lightheaded. He is remotely aware that JoJo is talking to him, but he can't understand a thing, and that he is led to her couch, next thing he is clearly aware again is that he is laying on the couch with his legs propped up on the armrest. "How'd I get here?"

"Well actually you walked over to the couch and kind of fainted on me, I was a bit worried there for a moment. How do you feel now," JoJo is sitting in a chair next to the couch.

"Okay I guess. I couldn't breathe and I saw pictures, well not really pictures, I think that those are memories. JoJo I can't remember much about it."

"About what Steve? About what happened now or back then?"

"When I was in the hospital and they put the restraints on me, it hurt so much. They put my broken arm in an awkward position and I started screaming. I begged them to stop, to get them off, but Neill was not listening he said something like 'let him scream, he'll quiet down soon'. They all left, they left me alone and I got really sick, I needed to turn but I couldn't so I threw up all over myself. I was so hot and cold at the same time, my head hurt and then I got sick again. JoJo I was so scared, I couldn't protect myself, I was trying to get lose and then there was this incredible pain in my arm and I screamed even more. That was when the pictures started," Steve is lying back exhausted, all that came out in one big rush, as if he didn't even stop for air.

"Steve what do you remember about the pictures?"

"I think they are memory flashes. It's a mission I don't remember much about. I got hurt but I don't know how or where we were. I remember not having any clothes on and I'm strapped on a table, there is a lot of blood, the smell makes me gag, and there is a mask on my face, someone is talking to me but I can't really understand him only bits and pieces like 'no anesthetic' - 'need to do it now' and something about 'bleeding out', then there is only pain, white hot pain in my gut, I'm screaming and they hold me down and there is even more pain. And then there is just nothing. JoJo there is nothing else, I have no idea what that is about, there is nothing in any of my files that would give me a clue about what mission went so wrong or where I had surgery. You think I made that all up?"

"No Steve I don't. You have the scar for it."

"You mean on my belly on the right side?"

"Yeah. I know what your medical file says about it. There is nothing in it about emergency surgery without proper anesthesia. But you did have surgery in the field when you got hit by the shrapnel."

"You think they covered up what really happened on that mission?"

"I don't know Steve but you're not making that up and if you remembered that when you were restrained than it is no wonder that you fought them with all you had. This is the first time that you could remember any of that. We tried to get to the bottom of it a few times over the years, but you could never remember any of it. Steve this is really good. We can work with that. Now you know why you are so scared of being restrained, that will help you a great deal."

Steve is looking at her like he is not really believing her, his memory only brought him more horrible images he didn't know were there. Now he has to deal with even more crap from his past.

"Steve do you trust me?"

"What? Of course I trust you."

"You look very doubtful right now, but this is really good. Please believe me. Steve will you be all right tonight, do you want me to give you something so you can sleep? I'm not very keen on that but you need to sleep."

"No I don't want any pills, besides I need to get my meds every five hours I can't take anything that knocks me out. I invited Danny and Grace to a sleep-over, I told Danny that I have some trouble with Cath not being there. I didn't tell him about the nightmares but he's not an idiot and I'm not easy to work with at the moment, so I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on. He promised to spend the night."

"Steve I'm very surprised at you, in a good way. I'm really happy to see that you reach out to your friends for help. Not just to me or Catherine," JoJo is smiling at Steve.

"Yeah well I promised him that I would seek his help if I need it. So I thought why not give it a try," Steve is not so sure that it was a good idea to ask his friend to stay the night, but he is in desperate need of sleep and with both Williams' in the house he might be able to actually get some.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day (16 _weeks after the crash)_**

"Hey you're not allowed to get up."

"Nope Danny you got that wrong this time, YOU are not allowed to get up. I'm only supposed to be careful," Steve is grinning at his friend and somewhat enjoying that finally he is not the one confined to a hospital bed. Not that he is able to do that much, just walking to the bathroom was hard work and hurt his back, but if he wanted to he 'could' sit on the couch or even take a little walk. But instead he gingerly sits back down on his own bed and thinks about how best to lay down since every contact with his back sends daggers of pain up and down his spine. Sitting on the edge of the bed is at the moment the best position for him, of course his ankle starts to throb when it's not elevated, so however he is looking at it he is screwed either way.

"Yeah well you look like you shouldn't get up," Danny is looking with worry at his friend who really looks like he will crumble to the floor any second now.

"Danny I'm fine," which actually gets a snort from Danny. "No really, I don't have a head injury that's all I'm interested in, everything else is really not important."

"Okay I can understand that, but please Steve just lay down and at least try to rest. You really don't look so good."

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? You have something better to do? You're not going to leave, if you even try I WILL scream, and believe me someone will hear me. . ."

"Danny! I'm not leaving. I can't lie down because my back hurts."

"Oh. Well take something for it, I'm sure you only have to smile at those nice nurses and they will do anything you want," Danny is grinning at him. Danny is always amazed how easily Steve can turn on the charm with just a smile and the women are pudding in his hands.

"Ha ha, very funny Danny. What are you doing?"

"Pressing the call button, which you're obviously not doing."

"If I wanted some pain meds, I would call them again. But I don't, they made me sick."

"Gentlemen one of you called, what's the problem?"

"Nothing."

"He's in pain," for that he gets an evil glare from Steve.

"Commander is your back still hurting?"

"Yeah but I don't want another shot like the last one, I got sick from it."

"How about just some strong oral painkillers? You had Tylenol with Codein before without problems."

"Yeah okay."

"Commander lie back down before you fall down. I'll be back in a minute."

"Thank you."

"See that was not so hard, now lie down," Danny is looking at Steve and waits for him to finally settle back in bed. Before he can voice his next question their nurse is back and carries a huge arrangement of flowers with a balloon hovering above it and a card sticking to it.

"Commander here are your pills and your flowers," she is smiling while she puts the flowers down on the couch table and gives him his pills and the card.

He swallows the two pills with some water and takes the card, "Who brought those?"

"Some courier, he delivered them to the nurse station. I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you."

"Whose it from," Danny is sitting up in bed and looks at the gigantic basket of flowers.

Steve wordlessly hands the card over to Danny who reads it out loud, 'Dear Stevie' "Who is calling you Stevie?" 'I'm so sorry to hear that you got hurt. Please get better soon so that we can finally go on our date. Love H' "Who is H? You go on a date with someone, did I miss something?"

"I don't know any 'H', maybe it's not for me?"

"Right, I'm sure there are a lot of other Stevies on this ward who got hurt. You really don't know anyone with a name that starts with an 'H'?"

"Harper Ferris."

"Who?"

"Harper Ferris, a friend of the Governor, I met her at the Hilton. Well meeting her is not the right word, she was, well let's just say I was glad I had Cath for protection."

"You met her again after that?"

"No. That was the only time and I made it very clear that I'm not interested."

"Did she contact you in any way before today?"

"No I never heard from her again, what does she want?"

"A date Steven. Didn't you read the lovely card, look it's really cute, a baby seal on crutches. I think it even looks like you, well okay not right now with that murderous look, okay okay back down," Danny is cracking up by the look Steve is sending his way.

Before Steve can say anything about where he can put the card, Cath is coming in, "Morning guys, how are you doing? Wow, well that's what I call 'some' flowers. Who send you guys those, the Governor?"

"Close but no prize, and they're not for the both of us, they all belong to Stevie," Danny is grinning at Cath, obviously enjoying this way too much.

"Oh. Well Stevie do I need to worry? Do you like to tell me something," Cath is grinning, clearly enjoying Steve's discomfort.

"Very funny you two, give me back my card Danny, find your own admirer," with that he bents over to Danny's bed to snatch his card or at least he tries to, he gets stopped by a sharp pain shooting into his back that lets him cry out and fall back onto the bed. "Shit. Argh damn that hurts," Steve is trying to control his breathing and to keep the pain at bay that is now again pounding in his lower back.

"Hey don't do that, lay still, you okay," Cath is looking with worry at her friend who is obviously in severe pain from his injured back.

"I'm fine, just waiting for the pills to start working. Why are you here so early, aren't you supposed to be at work? Not that I'm complaining, but. . ." Steve needs to stop when a wave of nausea sweeps over him, the room starts spinning and he closes his eyes to wait the vertigo out that is hitting him for the first time since he is in the hospital.

"Steve are you dizzy?"

"Yeah, feel a little sick. Room's spinning."

"Okay we just wait it out, I'm sure you will feel better soon. Mark said it will only last for a short while. Coming back to your question," Cath is now sitting in a chair between their two beds and holding Steve's hand, "I am working right now. I'm here in an official capacity, I have to take your statements why you ended up on a freighter that is now long gone and out of our jurisdiction. If you're up to that yet."

"Why would you take our statement, what does the Navy has to do with that," Danny is curious about that.

"Well the Navy did send some choppers and ships to look for you guys, and they want to know why one of their officers ended up in the ocean, thrown off a freighter that was under surveillance for a few weeks now. You two busted their operation."

"What? We had no idea that they were watched, why didn't they stop us?"

"That is a very good question, but let's start with how you got on that freighter and what happened. Steve you feel better now? Danny how are you, you up for this or does your head hurt too much," Cath is worried about them both. She has to smile a little, when she looks at Danny, who looks a little too red from the sun. It was their luck that they went overboard in the afternoon and not in the morning, they would look like lobsters if they spent any more time in the sun than they already did. Steve is not faring so bad, but Danny will be lucky if his skin is not going to peel. "You know you two really smell like the ocean, I guess you didn't shower yet?"

"No they didn't let us, they only washed some of the salt off, but a shower would be great, I really don't like this smell, your SuperSEAL over there probably loves it. Would probably buy it if it came as a fragrance to wear all the time," Danny really don't like to smell like the ocean he spent so many hours in.

"Oh come on Danny it's not that bad, you could smell like mud or I can think of a lot worse stuff one can spent eight hours in," Steve is grinning at his friend.

"Please spare me that."

"It seems that you're up to answer some of my questions," Cath is interrupting their banter before Danny can start one of his rants, she secretly enjoys so much. "Danny let's start with you picking Steve up yesterday morning."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading.<strong>_

_**And as always a little sneak peek into the next one.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17 – Camping<strong>

_**Present Time (16 weeks after the crash)**_

_**Queens Medical Center Room 625**_

"Well after I picked Steve up yesterday we went to have some breakfast, I didn't have time to eat at home and I was hoping that McGrumpy's mood would increase with some sugar in his system."

"I was not grumpy."

"Oh right. Steve you're normally a morning person and pleasant to be around, forget I said that," Danny is grinning at his friend who is looking at him with a raised eyebrow, "but you were not just grumpy, you barely spoke a word."

"I was tired, the night was short."

"I brought you home early, what did you do, oh wait I probably don't want to know that."


	17. Chapter 17 Camping

**Chapter 17 – Camping**

**Four weeks ago (90 _days after the crash)_**

When Steve came home after a long day with seeing Dr. Zane and JoJo and some work at the office, he lay down on the couch and took another nap in the hope to keep his headache at bay. The pain in his head increased over the course of the day and he is silently cursing himself for going to work instead of heading home right after his doctor's visits. He just woke up a couple minutes ago to the smell of Cath's famous pasta sauce with vegetable.

"Steve you wanna get up and change before Danny and Grace are here, dinner is almost ready," Cath is sitting down next to him on the couch and checks his temperature by kissing his forehead. "You're not feeling so warm anymore, how you're doing?" When he got home she thought that he felt a little warm to the touch.

"I feel a lot better, head's not hurting so much anymore. I'm sure it will be fine tomorrow, I just need to sleep some more," he is slowly getting off the couch to go change into something more comfortable. When he got home he just crashed on the couch and was out like a light. "Be right back down."

"Danny and Grace will be here any minute," she doesn't even finish before they are both entering, of course without knocking.

"Uncle Steve! Thank you for inviting us for the weekend," she is practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"We're happy to have you Grace. Danny what is all that stuff," Steve is looking at Danny who is carrying what seems like camping equipment."

"It's a tent."

"A tent."

"Yeah Grace and I figured all three of us could spend the night outside, you know under the stars and all," Danny is smiling at his friend.

Steve looks at his friend and smiles gratefully back at him, "Thanks Danny".

Danny just smiles, claps him on the shoulder on his way out to the beach behind Steve's house.

Right after Dinner Dr. Zane comes for a short visit to show Catherine how to help Steve with his physical therapy. Steve is sitting on the couch next to Grace who is very interested in anything medical related.

"Why can't Uncle Steve move is foot like before, his bones are not broken anymore."

"Well Grace that is a good question. You see Steve didn't move his foot for over eleven weeks and his ankle needs to 'learn' how to do it again. His ankle is a little stiff from not being used for so long, but he will be fine in a while."

Grace is watching her showing Catherine how to move the ankle to improve the range of motion.

"Catherine can you feel the resistance at this point," she is asking while they move Steve's ankle together. "You need to move it a little bit past that."

Steve is looking at them with a pretty stoic mask, but Danny can see that they are hurting him, Grace is the one who voices it, "Stop hurting Uncle Steve."

"I'm sorry Grace but we need to hurt him a little bit. But I promise he will be better soon. Okay Catherine I think you got it now, you should do that twice a day. Don't let his complaining stop you, the more you train this the faster Steve will get his full range of motion back. But be careful, if the pain gets too bad stop immediately."

"Okay I'll be careful."

"Good. Steve remember come see me next week. Have a good weekend," with that she is on her way out.

"Colonel thank you for coming by."

"That's okay Commander, see you next week."

Cath lets her out of the house and gets back to find Steve and his two house guests ready to leave for the beach.

"Steve I'm going to leave a little early," she is hugging him around the waist and gets her good bye kiss. "You have a good night, see you in the morning," one last kiss and she is on her way.

Steve, Danny and Grace are getting busy with putting up the tent out back first. It's not one of those completely closed one's but has one side completely open, that side they are putting to face the ocean. Steve is getting some camping pads to make for a comfy floor, they place their sleeping bags in it and admire their handiwork.

"Well I think that might be acceptable to sleep in."

"Danny I'm pretty sure that will be more comfortable than your pullout-couch," Steve always wondered how one can sleep on that thing.

"Hey my couch is really comfortable."

"Yeah I'm sure Danny. Besides this is almost heaven if I think about some of the places I slept in."

"Uncle Steve will you tell us a story about one of the countries you visited?"

"Sure Gracie, but first we need to make a camp fire. The sun will be completely down in a few minutes, Gracie can you light the tiki-torches, the lighter is in the kitchen."

"Be right back Uncle Steve," Grace is disappearing into the house.

"Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming here tonight and all this," Steve is indicating their 'camp-site'."

"You're welcome, just one thing."

"What's that?"

"Next time call me sooner."

"Okay I will."

"Good."

They spend a really nice evening together with stories about New Jersey and some more exotic places, of course Danny is sure that nothing can beat Jersey. At ten pm Steve disappears for a few minutes into the house to take his injection, while Danny and Grace are getting ready for bed. Danny noticed a while ago that Steve is even more struggling to stay awake than Grace is. They are both in their sleeping bags when Steve joins them.

"Uncle Steve did it hurt, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Gracie."

"You don't have to get up later Uncle Steve you can take your medicine here, right Danno?"

"Gracie that's okay I'll take it in the kitchen. Don't worry I won't wake you when I get up, I'll be really quiet."

"Okay, night Uncle Steve, night Danno, love you."

"Night Monkey, Danno loves you. Night Steve."

"Night Gracie, night Danno," Steve is grinning in the dark when Danny's answer is a groan.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny wakes up by the beeping of Steve's alarm, but he is not getting up, since Steve is already up and leaving their tent. If Steve is taking his next injection that means it is three am already, Danny feels like he just went to sleep. Something his daughter is still doing, she is not even stirring when Steve makes his way carefully out of the tent. Danny must admit if it weren't for the beeping of the alarm he would never have heard Steve, he really is very quiet. Danny settles back into his sleeping bag and falls back asleep only to wake up again half an hour later. He has no idea why he woke up but he can see that Steve is not back yet. Reason enough for him to go check on him. He finds his friend sitting in the kitchen, hunched over with his head resting on his arms on the table.

Danny crouches down to him and lays his hand on his back, "Hey Steve you okay?"

"m' sick," Steve's not even looking up.

Danny starts to rub comforting circles on his back, "You gonna puke?"

"Nothing left, already puked my guts out," Steve sounds really miserable.

"Oh okay, come on I bring you back to bed, you will feel better when you lay down."

"I'm dizzy, can't get up," Steve is still not lifting his head from the table.

"I help you, come on you need to sleep some more."

Danny is helping his friend up and they make their way slowly back out to the tent, Steve is swaying a little but Danny has a firm hold on him and they make it back to their sleeping bags without incident. When Steve is lying down he curls in on himself and Danny can see that he is obviously still very nauseas.

"Steve you gonna be sick again," Danny is only whispering so not to wake Grace.

"Don't think so, Danny my head really hurts," throwing up gave him a major headache, he was so happy that the pain in his head was gone before he went to sleep but now it's back worse than before.

"Steve just close your eyes and try to go back to sleep, I'm sure you will feel better in the morning," Danny is rubbing circles on Steve's back again and can hear how his breathing is getting slower and deeper until he is sure that Steve went back to sleep. He sets his own alarm to a few minutes past six am, so that he will be awake when Cath is coming back.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve becomes aware that he is tangled in something, slowly it dawns on him that it's not something but someone. Cath is lying half on him with her legs tangled with his and she has him engulfed in a hug with one arm around his neck and one around his waist. A glance at his watch shows him that it is a few minutes till noon. _Noon! How the heck could he sleep till midday?_ He settles back down and just enjoys the feeling of Cath so close by. He realizes that he is actually feeling really good, no headache, no nausea or dizziness. And for the first time this week he is not tired. But a half hour later he can't ignore the call of nature any longer and he tries to extradite himself carefully out from under Cath without waking her up. Of course an impossible task, she is slowly waking up and tightens her grip on him some more to keep him in place.

"Hmmm, where you going," she is lifting her head and greets him with a sweet kiss before she settles her head back on his chest.

He decides that he can hold out a few more minutes, "Cath where are Danny and Grace?"

Catherine is now propping her head up on her arm and looks at him, "Did you sleep well? You were dead to the world when I came home."

"Fine, when did you get here?"

"Shortly after six, Danny was already waiting for me in the kitchen. He told me that you were really sick around three and that your headache was bad but that you were sleeping at the moment. He 'ordered' me to keep you company and he and Grace moved out to the guest room. Grace is invited to the waterpark with some friends for a birthday party and Danny wanted to go to the office for a while, he will be back later. You were completely out of it, you didn't even stir when I gave you the shot at eight. How do you feel?"

"Great, I feel really good, Danny took care of me last night and I slept without any bad dreams. Cath I'm sorry but I need to get up, are you hungry or do you like to sleep some more?"

"No that's fine I'm not tired anymore, I could eat. Will you make waffles?"

"Sure. I'll just need a few minutes to change and shower and I'll make you some waffles," he takes the time for a slow kiss but then he is out of the tent and up to the bathroom in a few seconds flat.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Time (16 weeks after the crash)**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

"Well after I picked Steve up yesterday we went to have some breakfast, I didn't have time to eat at home and I was hoping that McGrumpy's mood would increase with some sugar in his system."

"I was not grumpy."

"Oh right. Steve you're normally a morning person and pleasant to be around, forget I said that," Danny is grinning at his friend who is looking at him with a raised eyebrow, "but you were not just grumpy, you barely spoke a word."

"I was tired, the night was short."

"I brought you home early, what did you do, oh wait I probably don't want to know that."

"I wish. I was sick most of the night, that damn lid hit a really tender spot. So excuse me if I was not at my best yesterday morning," even though his words would indicate that he is really miffed at Danny, his tone and his smile say differently.

"Anyway, your friend's mood did improve with some sugary breakfast, can you believe it he actually ate pancakes with a lot of syrup. I will mark the day that Steve McGarrett ate something unhealthy for breakfast."

"Hey I love pancakes and I do eat them, occasionally," he adds.

"Guys would you please stick to the case, I think you are the worst witnesses to interview ever," Cath didn't write anything down into her report yet, she is pretty sure that her superiors are not that interested in what McGarrett and Williams had for breakfast. "Just tell me about your investigation and leave out all the rest."

"But we did have lunch together, don't you want to know what he ate there? I thought I get sick by the sight of that."

"Danny, just the case please."

"Okay fine, just the case."

**Twenty four hours earlier**

"Danny we should go to HQ before we go to the harbor."

"Oh wow it speaks."

"What?"

"Man what's the matter with you this morning, cat got your tongue?"

"What are you talking about," Steve is opening the car door and settles in the passenger seat which gets an irritated glance from Danny. "Will you get in the car or what?"

"Who are you and what did you do to McGarrett? First you barely speak and now you let me drive?"

"I'm tired okay, didn't sleep well. Can we just go please," Steve is grinning to himself, it is so easy to throw Danny off balance sometimes.

"You okay," Danny gets serious for a moment.

"I'm fine Danny. Have you heard from Chin?"

"No not yet, he wanted to talk to Akira again, but he said he'll be at HQ when we arrive."

"What did you put him up for, Akira I mean," Steve is still smiling when he thinks about their suspect from yesterday.

"Assault, battery and resisting arrest."

"Danny battery will never stick, I didn't get hurt, I. . ."

"WHAT? You my friend puked your guts out after he hit you. You did get hurt, that red streak on your stomach looks nasty, I'll bet it still hurts."

"Danny, I didn't get checked out by a doctor, that injury is not documented, that is why battery will not stick."

"Well okay but assault and resisting is enough to put him behind bars for a while."

They reach Five-0 Headquarters where they meet with Kono, but Chin is not back yet.

"Boss how you're doing? I mean yesterday that was all just for show right?"

"Kono I'm fine. Will you all please stop that? I am fine. I'm cleared for duty, by Dr. Hope AND the Navy, so will you all back off?" Steve is looking at his friends, "I'm sorry Kono I didn't mean to snap at you like that, I'm just a little tired of getting asked if I'm fine every five minutes."

"Yeah well I can understand that but we're just worried."

"I know Kono, but I wouldn't be going out with Danny if I were not feeling fine. Tell you what, if I start to feel unwell I promise to tell you. But please stop asking me."

"That my friend I can't wait to see when SuperSEAL will tell us when he's under the weather," Danny is looking very unbelievingly at his friend.

"Danny please stop calling me SuperSEAL, I clearly am not that," just then his phone starts ringing. "Sorry but I have to take that," and he is gone into his office.

"Danny what's with him?"

"Don't know Kono, but I'll find out don't worry. I think he didn't sleep well, I'm pretty sure he has a headache, he is just a bit grumpy at the moment, best just to ignore it," Danny is grinning at her, but he is a bit worried about his friend. Something is bothering Steve and he is sure that he is still waiting for the right moment to tell him about it. He just hopes that it is nothing too serious that it is something they will be able to talk out. If Danny had known that they will talk it out in a rather wet environment, he would probably not have gone down to the harbor that day.

Steve comes back out of his office with a serious expression on his face, one that Danny has never seen before and therefore hasn't named yet.

"Everything okay," Danny addresses his friend who seems a bit preoccupied.

"Yeah. Chin back yet?"

"Sorry guys I'm late, but I couldn't leave sooner," Chin is just entering and joins his colleagues at the smart table. "Akira is dead."

"What? How did that happen?"

"They are not sure yet Steve, they found him in his cell this morning. He had a weak pulse but was not breathing, they rushed him to the hospital but he was dead on arrival. Doc said he'll let us know as soon as they know something. You think he was killed?"

"I don't know, doesn't seem like he had important information to get killed over, do you think he knew more than he was telling?"

"No I think we milked pretty much everything out of him. I don't think he knew anything more than that. I'm sure he was pretty low on the food-chain," Chin has more than enough experience to make an assessment like that.

"Yeah I agree with Chin. I think we should check out the harbor now. Steve you ready to go?"

"Yeah sure, Kono please try to find out a bit more about Akira, about his family, he had a gang tattoo, maybe that will lead to something. Chin I like you to keep looking into his death in the holding cell. Something about that doesn't feel right. Keep us posted, Danny and I will first go see the Governor and then check with the harbor master."

"Was that her on the phone?"

"Yeah she wants to see me right away, so let's go."

"She wants to see 'you', not us?"

"Yes Danny she wants to see me. Listen I can't tell you about it now. Let's just go see her," Steve is not even waiting for him to follow but leaves HQ to see their boss.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Steve you still didn't tell us what your conversation with the Governor was about, you never told us what you discussed with her at the Hilton," Cath is interrupting the 'interview' to ask about the conversation that got Steve so angry all those weeks back.

"Yeah Cath is right, you wanted to tell us on the following Monday but you never did, and I might add that I'm still pissed that I had to wait outside while you talked to her again," Danny is not really mad, he is never very keen on talking to superiors if they are politicians, mostly a waste of time in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I was not at liberty to tell you about it. But I think it's time that you all know and quite frankly I think it is related to the case," Steve suddenly lies his head back and grabs the bedrail, "man this is no fun, this is nothing like being dizzy, the whole room is spinning."

"Why don't we take a little break? I could use some coffee and you boys could use some rest. Steve you gonna be sick," Cath is already grabbing the basis that is on the tray next to his bed for just that occasion. She is just in time when he throws up what little he has in his stomach since they didn't get much to eat yet. Steve's stomach settles when he is done puking and the vertigo leaves him as well, but he is still completely spent and just closes his eyes and wants to go to sleep. Cath is getting him some water to rinse the foul taste out of his mouth, gives him a gentle kiss and whispers her good bye to Danny, "Danny try to sleep a little bit, I'm sure your head hurts. Trust me you will feel better if you sleep some more, we talk some more a little bit later."

Steve is already more than half asleep and doesn't even register that she is leaving with the promise to be back in an hour.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><strong><em>Thanks again for reading. So any guesses what Jameson talked to Steve about?<em>**

**_Here as always a little peek into the next one:_**

**Chapter 18 – Low Blow**

**Three weeks ago (94 days after the crash)**

Steve is getting impatient with the visitors from the Governor's Office, the delegation from New York is getting on his nerves. He has a headache since he took his last injection at 6 this morning and the constant questions and loud chatting of the guests, all females with what he thinks way too high voices, is not helping with the level of pain in his head. His teammates are not much help either since every single woman seems to be fixated on him. Danny disappeared into his office a few minutes ago to answer a 'phone call' and Chin is standing in one corner chatting animated with one of the tour guides, or as Danny calls him 'Babysitter' of the group. One look at his watch shows him that he needs to excuse himself in a few minutes to take his medication, which he will not be able to take in his office, but he needs to get a syringe first. He forgot that they will have visitors today, so he is not carrying any with him, they are safely stored in the little fridge in his office. His musing about how to get away in the best way gets interrupted by Chin.


	18. Chapter 18 Low Blow

_**Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and alerting. You really keep me going big time. Thank you!**_

_**Can you believe it, hiatus is almost over. Just one more week, well at least for all of us mortals who can not be in Hawaii this Saturday. I hope that everyone who is there has a really great time. BUT please DON'T spoil it for us! Enjoy it and shut up!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 – Low Blow<br>**

**Three weeks ago (94 days after the crash)**

Steve is getting impatient with the visitors from the Governor's Office, the delegation from New York is getting on his nerves. He has a headache since he took his last injection at 6 this morning and the constant questions and loud chatting of the guests, all females with what he thinks way too high voices, is not helping with the level of pain in his head. His teammates are not much help either since every single woman seems to be fixated on him. Danny disappeared into his office a few minutes ago to answer a 'phone call' and Chin is standing in one corner chatting animated with one of the tour guides, or as Danny calls him 'Babysitter' of the group. One look at his watch shows him that he needs to excuse himself in a few minutes to take his medication, which he will not be able to take in his office, but he needs to get a syringe first. He forgot that they will have visitors today, so he is not carrying any with him, they are safely stored in the little fridge in his office. His musing about how to get away in the best way gets interrupted by Chin.

"Ladies can I have your attention for a few minutes, I have prepared a demonstration over at the smart table for you, please follow me," he is successfully leading them all away from Steve who sends a silent thank you to his friend.

It takes him only a moment to get a syringe and walk over to the men's room to take one of his last injections. Only 34 to go. Next Tuesday three am will be his last one, he needs to be at the hospital at seven am so that he can get the medication that will hopefully prevent the incredible painful cramps. Speaking of cramps he can feel that his right leg is starting to tremble, he is cutting it very close with the injection. He puts the needle into his abdomen which is by now almost as painful as the pain caused by the medication and pushes the plunger down. It is always a very strange sensation to feel the immediate pain travel down his belly and settle in his groin, this is the most unpleasant way the pain can take and always the most painful. He knows that the pain will last a lot longer than the normal minute, for the next two to three hours he will not be able to walk because the pain has the same effect as a strained groin muscle. Every movement of his leg feels like someone is pulling at the muscle strings and tries to rip them out. He can sit just fine but even as much as lifting his leg is very painful, let alone walking. Thankfully this happened only four times during him taking the drug, well now five times.

He is leaning back some to wait for the dizziness to hit him, which he knows will be severe. And it is. He is just closing his eyes when he hears Danny coming into the restroom talking on the phone to Rachel, he is just about to alert Danny to his presence when he hears Danny talking about him.

"Na Steve is doing okay, actually he is almost mild mannered at the moment, I wish he would stay like that, would make my life a lot easier. But you know. . ."

Steve sits back in shock, he almost can't believe what he just heard. His first instinct is to confront him right away, but Danny didn't know that he was here and heard that. _Maybe it sounded different than it was meant. What is there not to understand? He wants you to stay this way. Not much to misunderstand about that. Oh shut up, I can't think right now, fuck that hurts._ Steve is leaning forward in the hope to lessen the extreme pain he is just experiencing, but he knows that it's a futile attempt. He needs to get out of the restroom and clear his head, before he confronts Danny. He replays the short conversation over and over in his head, but the words are always the same 'would make my life easier'. _He wants me to stay on the drug that causes so much pain, makes me sick and robs me of my job? Damn it, he is my friend how can he even think for one second that I should need to keep taking this horrible drug, that makes me dependent on it, that rules my life with the brutal schedule that cuts my life into five hour intervals. That wouldn't let me sleep for a full night in months. How can he think that for a second let alone voice that to someone?_

Steve's whole world was just turned upside down, he just can't grasp the idea that Danny would prefer him any different. He knows that he often complains about some of his methods while they are working, but he really believed that he likes him as a person just like he is; with all his quirks and faults.

The dizziness is gone by now and he gingerly stands up, which almost makes him cry out from the pain that is shooting from his groin down his right leg. It was never this bad before and he is pretty sure that he will not make it out to his office on his own. To mingle again with their visitor's is completely out of the question.

He gets his phone out and sends a text to Chin, 'need YOUR help'. It only takes a couple minutes before Chin finds him leaning against the sinks.

"Steve what's wrong?"

"Can't walk, can you lend me a shoulder and get me home please?"

"You all right, you want me to get Danny?"

"No just get me home please, argh damn," Steve is trying to move under his own steam but fails miserably.

"Did you hurt yourself or is this from the injection? Do you need me to call a doctor?"

"No I'm fine, it's from the injection. I just can't move my leg, it feels like someone rams a knife into my groin muscle. It will be fine in a few hours, but I can't stand or walk."

Chin has by now Steve's right arm over his shoulder, not a perfect fit, Chin is a little taller than Danny who has just the right height for Steve to use as a human crutch, but Chin is still shorter than Steve so it's working just fine.

"So you just want to sneak out?"

"Yeah I'm not very interested in telling everyone why I suddenly can't walk anymore. How I could get hurt like that in the restroom."

They carefully make their way out of their offices with Steve silently groaning every time he has to move his leg, they use the elevator and a few minutes later they are at Steve's truck.

"You can take the truck back later, I ask Danny to pick me up tomorrow," Steve is telling Chin while he gets into the passenger seat. He would be able to drive but he would not be able to get from his truck to his house.

It only takes them about twenty minutes to reach his home, he hands Chin his keys and tells him where his crutches are standing, with them he will be able to get around on his own. It only takes Chin a couple minutes to be back with them. Steve makes his way out of his car and leans on his two crutches.

"Thank you Chin. I can take it from here. When the delegation is gone, can you inform Danny that I left and that he please come pick me up in the morning?"

"Sure, anything else I can do?"

"No I'll be fine, just going to lie down. Thank you Chin."

"You're welcome brah. Is Cath home?

"No she'll be back tonight at eight."

"Okay. Listen I call you later to see how you're doing, that okay?"

"Yeah it's fine, thanks."

Steve watches his friend leave before he carefully makes his way into the house. The trip up the stairs painful and slow, but he will be more comfortable in his bed than on the couch. He lies down and places a pillow under his thigh so that his leg is slightly bent and there is no strain on his groin muscles any more.

He closes his eyes and tries to will the headache away that got a little worse in the last hour. His thoughts are circling around the phone conversation he overheard while he is dozing but it only takes him a few minutes until his dozing goes over into a fitful sleep.

H50 – H50 – H50

Detective Williams is taking a deep breath after he said his good bye to the last of the ten women who were invading their offices for the last two hours. He has to smile a little when he thinks about how they were all honing in on Steve, he also feels a tiny little bit guilty for leaving him to his own devices with them but Steve is a big boy and can fend off some women. Speaking of big boy where is that SEAL? He realizes now that he hasn't seen Steve in the last half hour.

"Kono have you seen Steve?"

"Half an hour ago when Chin got all the women away from him so that he could take his shot, not since then."

"You see where he went to take it?"

"To his office but then I got a phone call, sorry Danny don't know, maybe he sneaked out to get away from the vultures," Kono is grinning at him.

"Yeah probably. Where is Chin?"

"He went to the little boy's room a while ago, come to think of it I haven't seen him either again. Do you think they ran on us?"

"No," Danny is getting his phone out and calls Steve, but only gets his voicemail. Next he tries Chin.

"Kelly."

"Chin where are you, is Steve with you?"

"No not anymore, I'll be back soon," before Danny can say anything Chin ends the call.

A few minutes later he is back at HQ and informs his colleagues that he brought their boss home.

"He wanted to go home," Danny can't quite believe that.

"Danny he was in extreme pain, he couldn't stand let alone walk, I practically had to carry him to the car. I've never seen him like that, he said it only happened a few times but that it's extremely painful. He said he'll be fine in a few hours. Oh and he asked that you pick him up tomorrow morning."

"Why didn't he call me for help," Danny is not quite understanding what is going on.

"Danny I'm sure he did, but you were on the phone so he called me. Did everything go all right with the delegation, I hope they were happy even without Steve," Chin is grinning he was well aware of how disappointed they were when he led them away from Steve.

"Yeah fine, listen I'm going to check on Steve. Be back later," before Chin can stop him he is already out the door.

Half an hour later he is standing next to Steve's bed after he led himself in and looks down at his friend, who seems to sleep not so peacefully. He is lying on his back with his right leg elevated by a pillow under his thigh and another one under his knee. Steve put his leg in a position where the sole of his foot is almost completely on the bed. His right leg is slightly trembling and Danny can clearly see that it causes his friend great pain even in his sleep. When he sees a tear appearing at the corner of his eyes he knows that Steve is not asleep at all.

"Steve," Danny is only whispering so not to startle him, even though he is sure that he is aware of his presence, "anything I can do?"

"Please just leave," Steve can't deal with Danny right now, the pain in his muscle is all consuming and so very intense that he can't think clearly. He is in no shape to have a conversation with anybody, he just wants to try to go back to sleep, he woke up when he heard Danny entering the house. He is now cursing that he is such a light sleeper.

"You want me to leave?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine in a few hours, I just need to sleep, please Danny, just for once do what I ask, please just leave. But I'll be happy to see you later." Steve is not opening his eyes he just concentrates on his breathing and hopes to slip back into sleep soon.

Danny is looking at his friend and decides to leave, obviously the only thing Steve really needs is sleep and that is something he can't help him with, so he takes one last look and silently slips out the door, secures the house and gets on his way back to HQ.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day **

**Queens Medical Center**

"Mark can I talk to you for a minute," Catherine didn't go to the cafeteria but down to the ER, where she knows that Mark Hope is still working this morning.

"Hi Catherine, yeah I'm just about done here. I could really use a coffee, we can talk in my office," he is leading the way to his office on the floor of his station, away from the busy environment of the ER. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm worried about Danny and Steve. Steve just got very dizzy and sick, and Danny I'm sure has a really bad headache but is keeping quiet about it. Are they both okay?"

"They will both be fine. I know it's hard for family members if a loved one got so severely injured as Steve was, to relax when a minor injury occurs. It will take some time to go back to normal, but Catherine, Steve is doing really well. To tell the truth I was rather skeptical that he would go back to duty."

"I know. I watch him like a hawk and I'm sure he is pretty annoyed by it, but every time he so much as sniffles or touch his head, I kind of fall into a panic. I spent hours just watching him sleep," she admits a bit sheepishly. "I'm scared that he is taking a turn to the worse any minute."

"Catherine that is completely normal, but Steve is fine. He will not keel over and if he has a headache it's just like one everyone gets once in a while. You really can stop worrying about him. I think it's really nice that you look out for Danny as well, we tried to contact Mrs. Edwards but she is on The Big Island this week with Grace and her husband."

"Should Danny be left alone in his apartment when he gets released tomorrow?"

"Well it would be better if someone was around, but I would not keep him here if he wants to go home on his own. His concussion is a mild one."

"But it would be better if he stayed with us," Cath thought it might be easier to convince Danny to stay at Steve's house for a couple of days if his doctor would back that up.

"Yeah absolutely. I will recommend that to him, but I can't force him," Mark is smiling at Cath, of course he understood her plan to use his influence on Danny.

"That's fine, thank you Mark. Is there anything you can do for Steve not to get so dizzy and sick?"

"Not much, he is getting some medication for the vertigo, he should be past that by tomorrow when they get released anyway. But please don't let him go swimming."

"Okay. I'm going to head back to them, still have to finish the interview. Oh by the way, did you get mail from JAG to appear in court?"

"Yeah I did."

"We should meet if you have any questions about the proceedings at a military trial. Or are you meeting with Colonel Zane," Catherine wanted to ask him about it for a while.

"Ah yeah well we kind of, you know," Dr. Hope is actually blushing.

"Mark I think you two are perfect for each other, I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you Catherine."

They say their good bye in front of the Governor's suite, which Catherine's two favorite men are occupying at the moment. She is silently opening the door to find Danny wide awake but Steve is still deeply asleep.

"Hey Danny, you feel okay?"

"Fine," he is looking over to his friend who is not waking even though they are not whispering anymore, "I think his pain meds are knocking him out."

"How bad was he this morning, I saw the bruise, he must have taken a really hard hit to get such a bruise," Cath can clearly remember the dark purple bruise in the middle of her friends back right over the spot where his former fractured vertebrae are. She is always wondering if that injury is giving him more grief than he is telling her. She knows that he can't lay on his back all night and that he is following a special muscle training for his back, but still she wonders if he is sometimes in pain from it or not. On the other hand if there was a severe problem the Navy would not have cleared him for active duty again. He passed his PRT with a very high score, never using the easy way, she is smiling at him while he is just opening his eyes.

"I'm fine Cath, don't let Danny tell you differently. He is just pissed that he is not allowed to get up."

"I'm not. I enjoy my time in bed, not like someone else I know."

"Yeah you just keep telling yourself that," Steve is actually laughing at his friend who he knows hates to be stuck in bed.

"You guys are obviously feeling better so maybe we can go back to the case," Cath interrupts before they can really get at each other.

"Fine."

"Yeah fine by me," Steve is shifting in his bed to find a more comfortable position but is not very successful with it. He raises the head rest some more to sit up a little more, lying on his back which still hurts despite the two pain pills he took earlier. Sitting upright like that hurts his ribs but that is better than his back. "Okay where were we?"

"You went to see Jameson."

**Twenty four hours ago**

Danny is waiting for Steve to come back from his meeting with Jameson, he still doesn't understand why he can't be there. _Thirty minutes, what do they need to talk about for half an hour_, Danny is just asking himself that when Steve comes out of her office. If the look is any indication he is ready to explode, he is obviously rather pissed off at something or someone.

"Hey you okay, what did she want?"

"Not now Danny. We need to make another stop before we can go to the harbor master," Steve is already on his way and Danny almost needs to jog to catch up with him. He smacks into his back when Steve suddenly stops in the middle of the parking lot.

"What the hell Steve!"

"They let him go," it looks like Steve is ready to punch someone, so Danny carefully steps a little back.

"Who let who go?"

"The DA let Vitali, Jefferson and Stephanie go."

"What?"

"They made a deal. Two weeks ago. Can you believe that, no one thought it important enough to tell us, Jameson found out an hour ago. They are free for over two weeks now," Steve is furious by now.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No I'm not. Vitali and his 'team' were deported to Japan, I bet you a year's salary that they are already back here. The DA still doesn't want anyone to know. I can't believe that, where is the justice in that, how the hell can they let him go Danny? They killed Officer James," Steve is glad to notice that he finally can remember the name he kept forgetting for so many weeks, "almost killed Philip, injured Cath, they hurt me Danny. But I guess that is not important, we're just not important enough to get some justice." Abruptly Steve starts walking again leaving Danny somewhat speechless.

"Steve wait," he catches up to him and stops in front of Steve, "you are important. You were badly hurt by them and it is not right that they let those people go."

"Yeah well Danny when I meet with Vitali again, trust me I will not put my faith in the justice system again."

Danny is looking after his friend who is just getting in the car, he can understand his frustration. He and his girlfriend went through a terrible ordeal, Steve is still suffering from the aftereffects of his injuries, four months after he was taken from his home. It is no wonder that he is so angry about it, he deserves to get justice for what happened to him. They caught the guilty party and arrested them, to see them let go now must hurt him. He is by now sitting in the car, "Steve you want me to drive?"

"No. I'm okay Danny, I'm just so disappointed. I thought this was all over, I thought I did everything right this time but I still got screwed."

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thanks for sticking around. Here is the sneak peek into the next one.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19 - Confrontations<br>**

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

"Steve you can't be serious, Vitali was set free?"

"Well Jameson told me that he is awaiting trial in Japan. They obviously have some arrest warrants for him from some years back, there was a request for extradition, so they were deported to Japan. Vitali and Jefferson are awaiting a murder trial and Stephanie is facing charges for human trafficking. It's common policy to grand such a request, saves the tax payer a lot of money if a criminal can be prosecuted outside the States. That's all good but I bet you that Vitali will never ever see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a prison cell. The DA went the legal easy way. He didn't even have to offer him a deal," Steve is still furious when he thinks about it.

"But they are US citizens they can't be deported," Danny is sure that a country can only request the extradition of their own citizens.


	19. Chapter 19 Confrontations

**Chapter 19 - Confrontations  
><strong>

**Three weeks ago (94 days after the crash)**

Danny Williams is sitting in his car in front of Steve's house and is for five minutes now debating to go in or not. When he last saw him Steve practically begged him to leave him alone, _well he also said to be happy to see you later._ When Danny realizes that he is talking to himself again, he gets out of the car to confront his friend. Something about his behavior is off. Sure he was obviously in severe pain, but he did not call him, but texted Chin for help. Danny finds that rather odd.

He enters the house and calls out to his friend but gets no answer, he checks the house and it's clear that Steve is not in. Danny decides to check the beach next and sure enough he finds a towel on the deckchair near the waterline, Steve is obviously out for a swim. That means that he is feeling better Danny realizes with relief, he hates to see his friend in such pain. He is looking out to the water but can't see anything other than, well water. Maybe it's his imagination but he thinks to make out a tiny little dot far out that might be Steve. But if he is seeing it right that dot is getting even more away from the shore, not coming back in. He thinks that no one should swim that far out, not even a SEAL. He knows that Steve loves to swim and that he is doing it on a daily basis, but he also knows that he mostly swims parallel to the shore. Danny is worried, if his friend would get in trouble he would be of no help to him, Danny would never make it out there in time to do anything. He is really glad when he sees that the little dot seems to get a little bit bigger even though he is still pretty far out. He jumps up from the chair when the dot suddenly dissappears, obviously Steve is going for a dive. Danny starts to pace when the seconds are ticking by without him coming back up. He realizes that he is not standing on the beach anymore but moved further down to the water and is actually ankle deep into it by now. Steve is still not up yet.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is powering through the water, the ocean was always the place where he went when he had a problem to solve. He swam out the first time when he was five years old, he can still hear his father scolding him when he discovered that he swam out on his own, he was not allowed to do that. His father came after him and brought him back to safety, Steve is still sure that he would have made it on his own, but his dad was incredibly mad at him. But instead of punishing him he taught him everything about the ocean there is to know and after a short while it was clear to him that he really was very stupid to swim out like that and he promised his mom and dad never to do that again. And he never did until he was allowed to swim on his own in the ocean.

Steve realizes that he is far out by now and stops and just floats on his back and let his mind drift in synch with his body. After Danny left he was not able to get back to sleep and he had to ride out the incredible pain that was shooting up and down his right thigh, on a constant loop from his groin to his knee and back. No amount of groaning, screaming and crying was lessening the pain. He can't really remember how he ended up on the bathroom floor drooling on the tiles, an empty syringe of the ready to use morphine shots out of his field medical kit next to him. At some point he must have remembered that he still had it in the bathroom cabinet and obviously he used it. _Does that count as illegal drug use_, he is musing for a moment. He is allowed to have the kit and he is trained as a medic to use the content of it, but he has no prescription to use it on himself. That might actually be an interesting question if he is allowed to administer that to an injured team member, can he also use it legally on himself? _Well you were not on a mission, guess that means an absolute no to that question._ His thoughts are drifting in all directions from his current state of mind to the conversation he overheard between Danny and Rachel. He decided to not think about it anymore but to confront Danny as soon as he can. He is only driving himself crazy if he thinks about it even more than he already does.

He starts to swim back, much slower this time, not like his power swim he did to get out here, he only now realizes how far out he really is. He still doesn't feel powered out enough and decides to go for his dive at his usual dive spot. The water is not that deep around here but there is that one spot that allows for really deep free diving. He never managed to touch the ground and he is sure that today will not be the day he will manage it, but he still goes for it. He goes as deep down as he safely dares to do, one time he went too far and almost didn't make it back up, that never happened again. That was a stupid mistake of his youth to miscalculate his ability. But today he stays under water as long as he is able and breaks the surface just as black spots start to dance in front of his eyes. His oxygen starved lungs suck in the air in big gulps and he just floats again on his back to get his breathing back under control. After a minute he starts to swim back to shore feeling refreshed in body and mind, almost ready to face his friend who he sees standing on the beach when he did his dive. He smiles when he thinks that he probably scared the shit out of Danny with his almost two minute dive.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny is still staring at the spot where Steve dissappeared, it feels like Steve is under for five minutes by now when he suddenly pops out of the water like a cork out of a champagne bottle. He settles on his back and just floats there, Danny is not sure if he needs help or not, but he seems really calm. Danny sits back down after Steve finally starts to swim back to shore. Only takes him a couple minutes to reach the shallow water and he wades out of the ocean, grabs his towel and starts to dry himself off before he even looks Danny's way.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. You always swim that far out?"

"No."

"You obviously feel better, you okay?"

"Yeah."

_Oh-kay, one word sentences, I can work with that_, Danny is looking at his friend, trying to gage his mood. "You hungry? I brought Chinese from that place you like so much. Even brought you that awful broccoli stuff."

"Chinese's fine."

_Two words, well actually three, we're getting somewhere._ "You going to take a shower? I can warm the food up. When will Cath be here, I brought her also something," h_e can't answer that with one word._

"Yeah, at eight," and with that Steve is gone into the house.

Danny is muttering under his breath and hopes that his friend's mood will increase after a shower.

Steve is back down after not even ten minutes, clad in sweat pants and t-shirt with still damp hair. The table is already set for three but it will be another hour until Cath will be home so they start without her, because Steve declares that he is starving. He didn't eat all day, he actually feels a little lightheaded by now.

"Steve you allowed a beer yet?"

"No. No alcohol for another seven days. But I take a soda. Thanks Danny."

"Steve I was worried about you and I'm sorry I woke you up when I came to see you. Did you go back to sleep?"

"No I didn't," he is not elaborating on what happened after Danny left. Why should he burden Danny with that, it's not his problem and besides it's in the past, he is fine now.

"Steve can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you call Chin? You know this feels like the hospital all over again."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were in the hospital and got dizzy in the bathroom you called Chin for help because you thought that I would not 'be cool' with your attempt to get up on your own. Did you think I wouldn't help you today, why didn't you call me, I just don't get that?"

For the first time in his life Steve is going to lie to a friend, he never ever did that before, and technically he is not telling a lie right now, Danny was on the phone talking to Rachel, but the difference is that Steve didn't call him first. "You were on the phone so I called Chin, it's no big deal Danny, there's nothing sinister behind it." Not completely true, even though Steve is not telling the real reason why he didn't call him. He doesn't feel good about it, but he is not ready to talk with Danny about it right now. He is tired and his head hurts, it was probably not his best idea to take that dive today. When he came back up for air he thought for a minute his head was going to explode, now the hammering behind his forehead is back. _Yeah it was a really dumb idea to take the dive_, he hasn't had a headache this bad in months now.

"No big deal? No big deal he says. Steve I was really worried when I couldn't find you, couldn't you at least tell me that you left with Chin? I thought something happened, that you're lying somewhere and needed help."

Steve suddenly realizes that Danny still feels guilty about him passing out in the office without him noticing, "Danny it was not your fault. Please stop beating yourself up about it. I slept through my alarm, it's my fault, not yours. I was tired and I should have called someone, I was careless. And quite frankly you finding me an hour earlier wouldn't have made any difference. Please stop feeling guilty about it."

Danny is not saying anything just nods at Steve and keeps pushing his dinner around on his plate.

"You gonna eat that Danny?"

"What?"

"Are you going to eat that, if not, can I have it?"

"What you're still hungry? Sure you can have it," Danny is giving Steve his sweet and sour chicken, of course special order with no pineapple. "Where the hell do you put all that stuff, you don't have one ounce of fat on you."

"You jealous Danny," Steve is grinning at his friend while he puts another piece of chicken in his mouth, "You just have to use up more energy, you should come for a swim with me."

"Before we will take a swim together, hell will freeze over."

"Well Danny we are surrounded by water, I think the chances that we will end up in the actual water are pretty high."

"With you around I believe that," but he is also grinning, seems like they are back on familiar ground.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

"Steve you can't be serious, Vitali was set free?"

"Well Jameson told me that he is awaiting trial in Japan. They obviously have some arrest warrants for him from some years back, there was a request for extradition, so they were deported to Japan. Vitali and Jefferson are awaiting a murder trial and Stephanie is facing charges for human trafficking. It's common policy to grant such a request, saves the tax payer a lot of money if a criminal can be prosecuted outside the States. That's all good but I bet you that Vitali will never ever see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a prison cell. The DA went the legal easy way. He didn't even have to offer him a deal," Steve is still furious when he thinks about it.

"But they are US citizens they can't be deported," Danny is sure that a country can only request the extradition of their own citizens.

"Oh but that is the beauty of the plan, they all have dual citizenships. They are Japanese, don't ask me how they managed to get that, I don't know."

"So let's get this straight, the DA accepted the deal Vitali was offering but calls it 'deporting to Japan for trial'. Because that is good politics?"

"Yeah something like that," only thing Steve knows is that he hates politics, he was at the receiving end too many times. He's seen lots of missions compromised by decisions made at the table, never thinking about the consequences for the people out in the field. He feels betrayed, the suffering he had to endure not worth a punishment of the guilty party.

"So what is going to happen now," Cath still can't believe that Vitali and his friends will not be punished for what they did to Steve.

"Not much. Kono and Chin are already checking all flight manifests of all flights and ships in to Hawaii in the last two weeks. Nothing so far, but I'm sure they are already back, probably on the 'Ilyanov'. They left Japan a day after Vitali arrived there. I'm sure with them on board."

"You think they are already back in Hawaii?"

"Yeah, he has contacts all over the islands, he will not give up. That man is possessed with the idea of his revenge. Cath he will not stop," Steve is throwing his covers back and starts to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting out of bed Danny, remember I'm allowed to do that," he grins at his friend who is frowning at him.

"Where you're going, you are not leaving. You have to stay here."

"Danny I told you I will not leave, will you relax already? We leave together tomorrow. I'm not going to leave. I'm just going to the bathroom for a shower, be right back," with that he grabs the bag Cath brought for him with fresh clothes and is gone.

"You think he will be all right?"

"Danny don't worry, he wouldn't go if he wasn't okay to do that, he'll be fine. I also brought you some clothes to change, are you allowed to shower?"

"No," Danny is still pretty miffed that he is not allowed to get up yet, but his doctor is probably right, since he almost face planted last time he tried to get up. No wonder Steve had him on the floor in a second. _Yeah right keep telling yourself that, he would have had you on the floor no matter what._

It only takes a few minutes for Steve to emerge from the bathroom, freshly showered and shaved. He is not getting back in bed instead he sits gingerly down on the couch. His back started to hurt again and lying down is hurting more than sitting.

"Hey the doc said you should rest in bed, get your ass back here," Danny can see that Steve is pretty pale despite the light sunburn.

"I am resting, not doing anything, but lying down hurts, so I'm just going to sit here for a while," Steve lies his head back and waits for the room to stop spinning, he almost fell down in the shower when the vertigo started. Getting dressed while the room was moving around him was an interesting experience but he managed. After so many weeks with dizzy spells every day he is kind of used to it. Even though the vertigo is different. When he got dizzy it was the feeling that he was moving, with vertigo it is the feeling that he is stationary while the room is moving around him. He's not sure which is worse.

His head is hurting again, not badly so just a mild buzz on the right side, but ever since his severe headaches from his concussion he is very sensitive about pain in his head. He closes his eyes and is thankful that Danny and Cath are talking while they leave him alone for a few minutes. He starts with his breathing exercises to get control over the pain in his back and head, works after a couple minutes. He can feel how his taut muscles are relaxing, even though Danny thinks for him to swim for so many hours is a pure joy, he still feels the strain in his muscles from swimming for so long. His abdominal muscles are painfully sore and his thigh muscles are not faring much better. He is pretty sure that Danny won't be able to move his arms easily because of his very sore shoulders, something Steve does not have a problem with. Steve is stretching his legs out and puts them on the couch table in front of him, his ankle is slightly throbbing but he knows that there is no serious injury and that the brace is just a precaution to keep his ankle from moving sideways. But the brace will not hinder him much, it allows for almost normal walking. He was wearing that thing for over three month back when he fractured his ankle the first time. Back then the fracture was way worse than this time, his ankle was in pieces and it took a long time for him to walk normally without the brace again. He even used it on occasion when he was long cleared for duty again. So he is very familiar with it.

Steve opens his eyes when he realizes that the background noise changed into silence, he looks into the worried faces of Danny and Catherine.

"What?"

"We try to get your attention for a couple of minutes now," Cath is looking at him questionable.

"Sorry was just thinking, I'm fine," Steve can see that they are not really convinced and he can understand that. Just lately it became clear to him how very worried they have been, he had a talk with JoJo about it, and she made him see how very serious his injuries have been and that Cath and Danny witnessed him dying in the helicopter. He somehow understands that especially Cath is not over almost losing him and he knows that she spend hours just watching him for any sign of distress, he has to smile a little about her watching him sleep. He promised JoJo that he will be a little more sensitive about their need for assurance. "Listen I really appreciate your concern but I really am fine. My back hurts because that guy hit a really sensitive spot right on the messed up vertebrae, but that will fade soon. I'm sore and my head hurts, but I don't have any injuries a little sleep and rest won't cure. So you really can relax, Danny is hurt way worse than I am, worry about that," Steve is now grinning at them and hopes that they will relax some, because he really is not badly injured this time, he even was able to get his pain under control.

"Fine, but you tell me if you start to feel worse, promise me Steve," Cath is looking at him with almost pleading eyes.

"I promise," and he actually intends to keep his promise.

"Okay you think we can continue the interview? As I recall you are still not at the Harbor," Cath is looking down at her notes, but she didn't write down much yet.

"Yeah well Danny insisted that we grab something to eat first. We just had breakfast but he wanted pizza, so we went to that Italian Restaurant, you know where I took you a few days ago."

"Hey you make it sound like I'm always eating. I was hungry and breakfast was hours ago."

"Danny it was just eleven thirty and we had breakfast not three hours prior."

"Guys please do you always fight over food? Yeez I really don't want to spend a day with you. That must be a pain in the ass for everyone," but Cath is smiling, she so very much missed them being happily bantering. She was well aware that their relationship was a bit strained lately, but Steve wouldn't tell what was bugging him, so she gave it a rest and was hoping that they will eventually work it out. Obviously the time in the ocean gave them ample opportunity to talk.

"Hey I resent that, we are a delight to be around," that actually makes Cath break out in a laugh she can't keep in.

"Yes Danny you are, but you can be a handful, both of you."

"Can we go back to the case please," Steve for some reason is not comfortable talking about their relationship and how they stand to each other.

Danny and Cath are looking somewhat strangely at him, but agree to talk about their visit to see the harbor master and how they ended up on the freighter.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much reading. As always a little sneak peek into the next one:<strong>_

**Chapter 20 – Some days are no picnic**

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

"Okay so you went for pizza?"

"Yeah it was about one pm when we reached the harbor, we would have been there sooner but Danny insisted on driving," Steve is now grinning at his friend.

"You were driving like a maniac all morning, I just wanted to insure the safety of the people on the island."

"Danny I only drove from Jameson to the pizza place and I did that in a very civilized manner," Steve is defending his driving style.

"You keep telling yourself that, maybe. . ."


	20. Chapter 20 Some days are no picnic

**Chapter 20 – Some days are no picnic**

**Three weeks ago (94 days after the crash)**

At around eight Danny is leaving with the promise to pick Steve up in the morning since his truck is still parked at HQ after Chin used it to get back to work.

Steve is glad to have a few minutes to himself before Cath will be home. His headache picked up a notch and he wants to try to get a little more control over it by some breathing exercises he learned from a friend many years back. For a day or two now he can focus better, he doesn't have problems anymore to follow a conversation with more than one person. His ability to concentrate improved a lot in the last forty eight hours, now he thinks that he might be able to control his pain reception.

After a few minutes he must admit defeat, to concentrate on a conversation is one thing but to think his pain away seems to be another matter, a feat he will not be able to master tonight. But something came out of his exercise, while he let his mind wander he remembered some more pieces from his kidnapping. A few more and he might even get a clearer picture of what happened after he woke up in that still unknown location. He can now remember the fight and that he broke that tall guy's nose.

More importantly he remembers the helicopter flight again, well he could do without the memory of the actual crash. Unfortunately that came to him very vividly one night. He went through all the horror and pain of the crashing down, he woke up drenched in sweat and panting. But what is really important about this particular memory is the knowledge who got off the chopper when they touched down for a minute. It was not just Jefferson but also the doctor. He got no name but a face and he is sure that they will be able to identify him sooner or later. Steve lays his head back and massages his right temple, sometimes it's helping but not so today. He is just about to give up on it when two gentle hands are taking over and pushing his own out of the way, he gets a gentle kiss on the forehead from Cath who is standing behind the couch, seemingly out of nowhere. He can't believe that he didn't hear her coming in.

He is moaning with relief when he can feel her hands digging with gentle pressure into his scalp. Steve can feel the tension leaving his neck, instantly easing the pain level a little bit; after a few moments he gives in to Cath's ministrations completely. She is not just massaging his temple but is now putting pressure on the back and side of his head, successfully ridding him of the worst pain that was bugging him all day. After just a few minutes his head is much clearer and only throbs very mildly, he is opening his eyes and sees Cath smiling down at him. She is bending down again and ends her massage with another kiss.

"You feel better now," Cath is coming around the couch and flops down next to him.

"Thank you, yeah a lot actually. Your hands are quite magical."

"You didn't have a headache in weeks, are you okay," Cath is looking at him and can see that he is a bit too pale and looks exhausted.

"Had a rough day and was stupid enough to go for a dive," he admits to her.

"Steve! Mark told you no free-diving until you're off the drug, no wonder your head hurts so bad. Why the hell don't you listen to your doctor, sometimes you really are stupid. You know what I really don't want to listen to you why you had a rough day, I bet it was something equally stupid you did and I don't want to know," Cath is getting up from the couch obviously rather angry at him for being so stupid to risk his health with a free dive.

Steve is looking after her, he can understand her somewhat, he put her through some really stupid stuff but it's not like he meant to hurt himself today. And that he had a rough day was not his fault. Steve is thinking about what to do next, obviously it is the first day that they need their own space. Well at least he needs to face her again before he can go to bed, a little early for him, but to be honest he is really tired. He needs to take a syringe out of the fridge to inject his medication in a few minutes, so he ventures carefully into the kitchen where she is just putting her dinner on a plate.

"Thanks for dinner," she is not looking his way.

"Danny brought it over, he left about half an hour ago. You want to tell me about your day?"

"No not really. Listen Steve I know you don't do those things on purpose, but I'm not in the mood right now, my day was no picnic either and I like to be mad at you at the moment."

"Okay then I'm just leaving you to your dinner. I'm going to bed," he takes his medication out of the fridge and is about to leave when she calls to him.

"What don't I get a good night kiss," Cath is smiling at him, even though she is mad at him she still loves him. "And you can take your shot here."

Steve is more than happy to oblige to her wishes but keeps the kiss gentle and short, he respects her wish to stay mad at him for a while. And it would not be fair to try to change her mind with some mind blowing kisses, for which he is in no shape anyway. "I'd rather take my shot while lying down, hope you sleep well."

"Have a good night Steve."

"You too," well so much for cuddling later, she will obviously be sleeping in the second bedroom tonight. He resigns to his fate to spend the night alone.

H50 – H50 – H50

Half an hour later Cath is sneaking into their bedroom to check on Steve. She just went off the phone with Chin, he apologized for not calling sooner, but wanted to know if Steve was feeling any better. He told her what happened and now she is feeling a little guilty for not listening to Steve why he had a rough day.

She has to smile when she sees her friend lying sprawled on the bed. He is lying almost across the bed on his belly and hugging 'her' pillow. He is not even stirring when she comes into the room to get into the adjoining bathroom to get ready for bed. When she enters she stops in her tracks. Steve is a neat freak and he never leaves a mess behind, but what she finds in the bathroom can clearly be called a mess. Wet towels are lying on the floor beside wet board shorts which are heedlessly lying around and making a puddle in the middle of the room. But what really gets her attention is the field medical kit still lying on the tiles, it's open and she can see that one of the syringes was used. It's unwrapped, empty and lying on top of the open kit. Steve never left that lying around and he never left such a mess behind. She is checking the wrapper of the syringe and can read that it was one of the ready to use morphine injections.

She needs to sit down when the implication of her findings settles in. _Steve took morphine this afternoon._ She knows for him to take such drastic measures like using narcotic painkillers he must have been in tremendous pain. Cath takes another minute to gather her thoughts. She cleans up the mess a little, puts the medical kit back where it belongs and goes to join her friend in bed.

When she climbs into bed he moves and settles down next to her, his arms around her, a smile on his lips and a content sigh clearly audible, but she is sure that he is all the while deeply asleep. She snuggles down herself, all anger at him long forgotten and just glad to have him in her arms, save and sound.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

"Okay so you went for pizza?"

"Yeah it was about one pm when we reached the harbor, we would have been there sooner but Danny insisted on driving," Steve is now grinning at his friend.

"You were driving like a maniac all morning, I just wanted to insure the safety of the people on the island."

"Danny I only drove from Jameson to the pizza place and I did that in a very civilized manner," Steve is defending his driving style.

"You keep telling yourself that, maybe. . ."

"Guys really can we please go on with the case? How in the world are Kono and Chin able to stand this?"

"What?"

"What do you mean," Steve and Danny are grinning at her.

"Forget about that. So you went to see the harbor master?"

"Yeah we did. Talked to him for about maybe fifteen minutes, looked into the logs and were on our way down to the pier."

"Up until then everything went really smooth and without a problem, of course then your friend here had the brilliant idea to check out the boat."

"It's a ship Danny, not a boat. And of course we needed to check it out."

"We didn't have a warrant."

"We didn't need one, we only went to speak to the captain and 'ask' permission to look around. For that we needed to board the ship."

"Yeah right, the second we set foot on the boat we were shot to hell."

**Twenty four hours earlier**

"Danny will you stop bitching? We are only going to see the captain, we're not going to sneak around. Not much at least," Steve has no intention of getting into trouble he just wants to get an impression of the whole situation. After all they have not a shred of evidence that anything illegal is going on here. Only some rather dubious tip from a now dead suspect. It could all be totally bogus.

"We should at least wait for back up," Danny tries to reason.

"Back up? Danny we're just going to question the guy. What do we need backup for that," but Steve stopped his way up the gangway to board the ship. "You really don't want to board the ship do you?"

"No I don't. But you're right we have not much of a choice if we want to get any kind of information, so lead on."

They make their way up to the deck and are proceeding to get to the bridge when suddenly Steve stops and drags Danny behind some crates that are standing on the deck.

"What are you doing?"

"Danny those guys are not sailors, look at them, they are military," Steve is pointing to three men standing at the railing, dressed all in black with automatic weapons hanging loosely over their shoulders.

"Steve let's get out of here. Shit. What the hell?"

Danny and Steve are looking at the gangway that was just lifted up, so that way is closed off to them. The harbor master told them that they will leave the port in two hours but it seems that they are leaving right now, with Steve and Danny.

"Come on," Steve ducks down and vanishes into a hatchway leading below deck.

Danny follows him and they make their way through the vessel until they reach the cargo hold. They carefully make their way in, but so far so good, they didn't see anyone since they almost ran into the three guys on deck.

"Danny the manifest said they transport computer parts to Japan. First of all why would Japan import computer parts and second those crates don't look like they hold anything computer related."

They get lucky with the first crate they open, it's full of weapons. Handguns neatly stacked in the middle, flanked by assault rifles.

"Hardware for the newest computer game?"

"It's a little too real for me Danny. We need to alert the Coast Guard they need to stop the ship," Steve gets his phone out, "no bars. Your phone?"

"Nope, we need to get out of here. Do you hear that," Danny is pushing Steve behind the crate and looks around it. What he sees is not good. The three guys are back and they don't look friendly. But they didn't see them yet. Steve and Danny are in the back of the cargo hold and not visible right away, but they both know it's just a matter of time until they will be made. The three are doing a sweep of the cargo hold, almost like they know that Steve and Danny are in it. One of them is just a few feet away when Danny suddenly sneezes loudly, which lets Steve spring into action, he is on the black clad guy before he can even raise his gun to the sound of Danny's sneeze. Steve wanted to subdue the guy without alerting the other two in case they didn't hear Danny yet. But it becomes clear to him that they heard him when an iron pipe or something similar lands with force on his back. Before he hits the ground he feels a second even harder impact on his lower back. Knocks the wind out of him when he crashes to the ground, before he can react a boot connects with his ribs, but he is able to grab the foot and uses the momentum to throw his attacker to the ground. For a second he wonders how Danny is faring and why he is not hearing any sounds coming from their fight when he gets tackled by the third attacker. Now he has three guys against him and it doesn't take long for them to get him to the ground again, fists are flying freely in his direction and some of them are connecting painfully with his body. His arms are bent back and his wrists are tied behind his back, one last kick into his stomach and all lights are out.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny Williams is watching his friend, who is just about to come to again. He is groaning and tries to turn, he is currently lying on his belly and that is obviously not a comfortable position. Danny can understand that and he is asking himself why they bound Steve in such a brutal way and left him with just his hands behind his back. They bound Steve's hands behind his back but they also tied his ankles together and connected them to his wrists with a very short rope, his legs are painfully bent back to his wrists. Danny can see that every movement of his legs or arms is causing him pain, Steve was now able to roll onto his side and is facing Danny.

"Danny you okay," Steve is blinking a few times to clear his vision and to get Danny into focus.

"Better than you, only hit my head, but they beat you up."

"Can you get over here? There is a knife in my right boot, can you get it out? Argh damn," Steve is closing his eyes in agony when a wave of pain is going through his right ankle and knee; his former hurt leg is not taking kindly to the abuse it is now subjected to.

"Steve what is it, talk to me," Danny is trying to get to the right boot of his friend to search for the knife.

"It's my leg, you got the knife? Be careful with it Danny," Steve is not able to lie still anymore, his right leg is cramping, the taut muscles are screaming in agony.

Danny has the knife now and can feel that it is a very unusual very flat knife with a short blade and a flat steel handle. Before he starts on his binds he cuts the rope that binds Steve's ankle to his wrists. He can see that his friend is now lying flat on his belly, panting and trying not to pass out. It takes Danny only a minute to get rid of his own binding and only a few seconds to free Steve. He turns him on his back and takes the still cramping right leg, stretches it out and presses the foot towards Steve's body to loosen the muscles. Danny can feel how the leg stops trembling and how Steve breathes more normally again.

"Thank you Danny," with Danny's help Steve is able to get up and shakes his leg carefully out. His ankle is hurting somewhat, so is his knee but he can put his full weight on it without much problem. Steve is now taking a closer look at his friend but can see nothing wrong with him. "Danny you okay?"

"Yeah I'm good, they knocked me out, sorry I was not of much help," he is following Steve to the door. "You don't by any chance have a key for the door in one of your pockets?"

"No, but we don't need a key, door's open," with that he just opens the hatch.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

They are now back into the cargo hold, they were locked, or not locked for that matter, in one of the separate small cargo rooms. They go back to the crate they opened before and both take a gun, check the clip and proceed to the door. Their attackers took their guns, badges, phones and vests. But at least they could restock on a weapon. They carefully make their way out of the cargo hold, still wondering why they were not locked in. It takes them a few minutes to get back to the deck of the ship, but only a few seconds before they are discovered on deck. They are outnumbered big time so they just run when the first bullets are flying their way, they hope to find better cover but that hope is short lived when a bullet hits a barrel that is standing on deck and lets it get up in a small explosion that knocks them off their feet. They hit the railing with a lot of force and their own momentum combined with the force of the explosion throws them overboard. They hit the water hard and have to fight to not get sucked under by the ship's propeller. But after a few moments they are free and the ship is keeping its course like nothing ever happened.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny and Steve are both looking at Catherine after they finished their tale. She is not sure what to say to this completely screwed up situation. She is looking at the two friends who are both looking at her with their best innocent look.

"You do know that we can't even charge them with much. They were in their right to apprehend you. You were trespassing."

"No we were not, we got lost on our way to the captain and they attacked us, without warning," Steve is still sticking to his story that it was not their intension to search the ship.

"Right. You got lost, that is your story?"

"Yeah. Look we really didn't mean to search the ship, we wanted to talk to the captain but before we could speak to him we got attacked. And they had illegal weapons on board, a lot of them. Is that why they were under surveillance? By the way, why didn't they stop us boarding the boat?"

"I don't know Danny, but we will find out. You guys are sure you okay," she is now looking at them, after she heard that they were in a fight she is even more worried.

"Yeah we're fine," Danny is touched by the concern Cath is showing not just for her 'boyfriend', he really needs to ask Steve what their relationship is now, but also for him.

"Okay. I think we should take a break, you both look tired, why don't you sleep some more, I think Chin and Kono will be here in a couple hours. I will go talk to NCIS and give them the first report but I'm pretty sure they'll want to talk to you. You need anything before I leave?"

"When you leave can you send a nurse in with some more Tylenol," it's a new step for Steve to ask for painkillers, but he promised Cath to tell her when he is not feeling well. And he intends to keep his promises.

"Yeah sure. Danny you need anything?"

"No thanks I'm good. Catherine thanks for the clothes and all, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I'll be back later. Try to rest some more," she gives Steve a very promising kiss and Danny a little peek on the cheek. "Behave yourself, both of you."

"Hey I'm always the model of behavior, tell that to your boyfriend over there. He is the crazy one," Danny is looking over at Steve but can't read the expression he is just sporting. Steve discovered a new way to throw Danny off balance. New faces is his newest sport, since Danny is insisting that he can read him like a book he will be coming up with some new chapters for him to study.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thanks again for reading, your reviews and alerts.<strong>_

_**I would love to hear from you, good, bad, indifferent, let me know what you think. BUT please no spoilers for 2x01 in the reviews!**_

_**The past is catching up to the 'Present Day' - we're almost there. Now it's time for Steve to get off the drug. After that all will be well, right? Yeah right!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 21 – Stop taking the drug<strong>

**Two weeks ago (101 days after the crash)**

Steve and Cath arrive at the hospital a few minutes to seven. At three this morning Steve took his hopefully last injection. They are scheduled to meet with Mark Hope who will prep Steve for getting off the drug he took for the last twelve weeks.

"Catherine, Steve good to see, how are you this morning," Mark is greeting them in his office.

"Morning Mark. Well to tell the truth I'm a little nervous," Steve was waiting for this day but he is also a bit worried.

"I can understand that, but I'm pretty sure you're ready to stop taking the medication. Come on let's get you settled in a room and I start to prep you," he is leading the way out of the office where they almost run into Danny.


	21. Chapter 21 Stop taking the drug

_**Can you believe it, hiatus is over! One more night and we can all finally watch the first episode of season 2. I have a feeling that the new season will be even better than the last one. And I absolutely loved the first one. So if season 2 will be better then I will probably go stir crazy about it. Oh well I can live with that. ;-)**_

_**Okay here we go let's get Steve off that damn drug.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 21 – Stop taking the drug<strong>

**Two weeks ago (101 days after the crash)**

Steve and Cath arrive at the hospital a few minutes to seven. At three this morning Steve took his hopefully last injection. They are scheduled to meet with Mark Hope who will prep Steve for getting off the drug he took for the last twelve weeks.

"Catherine, Steve good to see, how are you this morning," Mark is greeting them in his office.

"Morning Mark. Well to tell the truth I'm a little nervous," Steve was waiting for this day but he is also a bit worried.

"I can understand that, but I'm pretty sure you're ready to stop taking the medication. Come on let's get you settled in a room and I start to prep you," he is leading the way out of the office where they almost run into Danny.

"Danny what are you doing here," Steve is looking at his friend, they didn't talk about this day and he hopes that Chin and Kono are not also coming.

"If it is okay with you I like to be here. I understand if you want to be alone," Danny is looking at his friend.

"No it's okay Danny, come on we're on our way to a room."

"Thank you Steve."

A few minutes later they reach a hospital room that almost looks like an ICU room.

"Mark what's all that for," Steve is indicating the monitors and IV poles at the head of the bed.

"Don't panic Steve it's just a precaution, we don't really know what to expect, it's a bit different with everyone. Some even passed out and stopped breathing when the muscle relaxant didn't work, that's what the ventilator is for. Okay listen, I know you expected something different, but we need to be ready for everything and that's why I like you to take your shirt off and lie down in bed."

"I thought I get a shot for the cramps and that's it," Steve is looking a bit worried at all the stuff attached to the hospital bed.

"That's the plan and hopefully it will work just like that. But Steve if something goes wrong we need immediate access to your body, you can keep your pants on. I don't expect any complications, I just want to be prepared."

Steve is getting rid of his boots and sheds his polo shirt and climbs onto the bed with the headrest elevated so that he is halfway sitting up.

"Okay, in about half an hour you would need your next shot, but we will hold off on that. I'm pretty sure you won't need them anymore. You told me that every shot caused severe pain the last two days," while he is asking Steve he attaches the electrodes on Steve's chest to monitor his heartbeat, the monitor starts beeping in a fast rhythm right away.

"Yeah last couple days every injection caused pain for way longer than a minute."

"The injection is now more harmful than doing you any good, that's why I think your body doesn't need it anymore. I will give you a muscle relaxant in a few minutes that will hopefully prevent the painful cramping, you will probably have some trembling in your legs or arms. When the drug wears off you will get a headache that has nothing to do with your head injury but with your body missing the drug level it was used to. That will fade in a day or two, it should only be a mild headache anyway. You might get sick, well knowing you, you will get sick. Steve I like to give you a sedative you are very agitated and I like you to calm down a little more. That okay with you, I promise it won't knock you out."

"Yeah okay," Steve is watching his doctor getting a syringe ready with the sedative.

"Before we start I'm going to get you an IV-port in case we need to administer any medication, we will take it out again in a couple hours."

Mark Hope has the IV ready in a minute and injects the sedative right into it. "Steve just keep breathing normally you're doing fine."

Steve feels a little detached already and knows that Mark chose a pretty strong sedative but one that only calms him down with no narcotic effect. He is calmly watching Mark getting another syringe ready to inject into his IV port, probably the muscle relaxant. The heart monitor is now beeping in a more normal rhythm. He lays his head back and closes his eyes for a minute to calm his breathing some more. He is aware of his friends looking at all 'this' with worry, they didn't expect all this 'stuff' when he was going off the drug. To tell the truth he didn't expect such an elaborate operation either.

He is shifting on his bed when he feels some discomfort in his back, it's a tingling sensation he never felt before. His right leg is starting to tremble a little bit, he knows that feeling from when he was cutting it close to his next injection. Steve opens his eyes and seeks Dr. Hope out, "I think it's starting."

"You in pain Steve, any cramping?"

"No, but it's really uncomfortable," he gets a bit more restless and shifts some more, he can't get his legs to stop moving. He pulls his legs up when his belly suddenly starts to hurt, "now that hurts, argh damn." The heart monitor starts beeping frantically now. Steve tries to breathe through the pain that the cramping in his gut is causing, it only lasts for a minute and then it's gone as fast as it started. He relaxes again but his legs are still trembling. His right foot is cramping, his ankle is locked in a very painful way. But again it only takes a minute to lessen somewhat, so that he at least can move his ankle back into a more relaxed position.

"Steve I'm going to give you some more relaxant that will hopefully help some more with the muscle spasm," Mark Hope is looking with worry at his patient when he starts to pant. "Steve?"

"Can't breathe. . .it hurts. . ." Steve is hugging his abdomen with both his arms in the hope to lessen the pain that is running across his abdomen making breathing really painful. He doesn't know if it is the higher dose of medication or if it would have stopped on its own anyway, but after just a couple minutes he can breathe freely again. He lies back down still panting heavily and sucking in big gulps of air. Spots are dancing in front of his eyes but are fading fast now that he can breathe again.

He is lying on his bed and slowly calms down again, he can still feel his legs slightly trembling but it's not painful anymore. Just an uncomfortable feeling. His head hurts a little, but nothing too bad. He tries to lay still and to calm down some more. The beeping of the monitor is now almost back to normal.

"Well that was not too bad," Steve is now opening his eyes again and looks into three worried faces. "I feel a lot better now."

"Steve no cramping anymore? How is the pain level?"

"No pain, okay my head hurts a little, but no cramping. I feel really sore like I ran a marathon, it's uncomfortable but it doesn't hurt. I'm really tired. I feel a little sick and dizzy."

"No intense pain in your head? If you still needed the drug your head would be really hurting by now, I think you're in the clear Steve," Mark is smiling at his patient with genuine happiness.

"Hmmmm," Steve has trouble following what Mark is saying, he is so very tired, he can barely keep his eyes open. Maybe the sedative was narcotic after all.

"Steve don't fight it, go to sleep for a while, we'll be here when you wake up."

"Hmmm," he is not opening his eyes and just gives in to the pull the sleep has on him. Last thing he's aware of is Cath gently kissing his forehead before he slips into a deep sleep.

"Mark is he all right," Cath is looking down at her sleeping friend and can see that small tremors are still running over his whole body. His right leg is constantly trembling and twitching.

"He is fine, the trembling will stop in a few minutes, I'm going to give him another dose of relaxant just to be on the save side. I don't want him waking up to pain, he needs to rest."

"Did you knock him out?"

"No Catherine, he is just exhausted. The last two days took a lot out of him, he told me that he was in constant pain, he couldn't keep anything down and his headache was really bad. We were actually debating to do this yesterday, but then we decided to wait till today. But the last two days were really hard on him. I want you all to watch him, he needs to rest more. He should sleep at least eight hours every night. I know he normally doesn't sleep that many hours, but he needs it. He is not back to normal yet, even though his headache is gone. He needs to remember that, I don't want him to have a relapse."

Mark Hope is injecting some more medication into Steve's IV port that stops the trembling in his right leg a little bit but there are still tremors running over his body, not as bad as before but still visible. But Steve doesn't seem to mind, he seems to be deeply asleep. Cath is wondering how she could have missed that he was feeling so bad for the last two days, well for the most part she was not there, she had to attend some drills at the base and when she finally came home late at night she was so tired that she didn't take much notice of anything. Still she is berating herself that she didn't notice her friend being in pain and sick. But on the other hand. . .

"What are you smiling at," Danny is interrupting her train of thoughts.

"I was just thinking that Steve must be doing much better, he was able to hide his discomfort just perfectly. I had no idea that he was feeling sick or was in pain."

"It makes you smile that your friend was sick?"

"NO! Danny of course not, I'm smiling because we have our SEAL back. He is able to manage his pain."

"He's going to the base for his eval this weekend?"

"Yeah on Friday he'll meet with a Navy psychiatrist to get his psych evaluation and on Saturday he'll do the physicals down at the training center."

"When he passes all that he'll come back full time and goes out in the field again?"

"That's his plan."

"I hope he'll pass, I will deny it to my last breath, but I really miss him. It's not the same without him having my back. And quite frankly if he has to stay behind a desk a week longer I'm pretty sure he will shoot someone," Danny has to grin about Steve's mood the last few days, sitting behind a desk is really getting to him.

"Yeah well Steve always hated to be confined to indoors. Not really his thing."

"Let's hope that this will be his last week."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve hears a quiet conversation in the background but can't really make out what the people are saying. He is just content to lie comfortably in bed, wrapped in a soft blanket and to doze for a little longer. He is curled on his side, one arm under the soft pillow and the other on his shirt-clad stomach. That realization lets him hold on for a second, he remembers clearly that he was lying in bed in cargoes and with no t-shirt on. Now he is lying in bed just in his boxers and a shirt on. _How did that happen?_ He remembers the beeping of a heart monitor to be the last noise he heard before he fell asleep but that noise is gone as well and he can't feel any electrodes on his chest. He can't remember waking up, getting undressed the rest of the way and putting a shirt on. Somehow he likes to know how he ended up in this state but on the other hand he is just so comfortable right now that he is not sure if he wants to open his eyes or not. He feels himself drifting a little again and decides to give in for a few more minutes, it only takes a few seconds for him to go back to sleep.

Next time he wakes up to someone trying to get his attention by shaking his shoulder, he finds that rather annoying. He tries to ignore it and to go back to that wonderful warm, soft place where he was just a few seconds ago. The shoulder-shaker is now calling his name and he starts to sound really worried, but Steve just doesn't care he only wants to go back to sleep. He is so damn tired and just can't open his eyes, he really tries when he can hear Catherine calling his name, if he is right even Danny is calling out to him. But he is just not able to get his eyes to obey him, his eyelids feel like they are glued shut and he just can't open them, no matter how urgent his doctor is calling him now or how hard Steve tries to do what he wants him to. Suddenly there is a bright light shown in his eye, _damn that hurts_. Steve groans and tries to get away from the intrusion but the other eye gets the same treatment with the penlight. Now he is not so comfortable anymore, his head hurts, not really bad it's more like a dull throbbing. He also becomes aware now that his whole body is kind of sore and that he is really thirsty. He gives opening his eyes another try and at least gets them to open a little bit. His vision is blurry and they droop again right away but he fights now to get them to open and can hear his friend's encouraging words. After what feels like minutes he manages to keep them open and looks rather sleepily into three very worried faces, a view he is now very familiar with.

"Steve can you hear me," Mark Hope is addressing him.

Steve shifts in bed to get a little more upright, and looks a little disoriented around the room, "What time is it?"

"You were out for over twelve hours Steve, it's nine pm. You had us worried there for a minute when you didn't wake up. How do you feel," Mark is still holding his penlight ready to use and Steve is warily watching him. That damn light really hurt.

"I'm tired, my head hurts and I'm really sore. Can I have some water please?"

Danny hands him a bottle of water that he gratefully takes with somewhat shaking hands. But he feels a lot better after he takes his first sips of the cool water.

"What happened?"

"Steve what do you mean," Dr. Hope is looking at his patient and gets worried again that he can't remember that he went off the drug.

"This," Steve indicates his state of dress or rather undress, "is not how I went to sleep. I can't remember waking up and get out of my pants and in to a t-shirt. So what happened?"

Cath is now speaking up, "When we figured that you will sleep for longer than a couple hours we thought you'd be more comfortable this way. Danny and I changed you so to speak, you didn't even stir at all."

"And you didn't help either," Danny is smiling at his friend, "it was actually kind of fun, I suggested to get you into something different, but I think Cath was scared of your wrath."

"So I take it getting off the drug went not so smooth but it worked after all," Steve is now looking again at his doctor.

"Well I didn't expect you to sleep for so long, but the drug is out of your system and you seem to be more alert now. How bad is the headache?"

"Ah not too bad maybe a four, but it's nothing like before, it's just a dull pain. It's okay. My leg hurts, it feels really stiff and sore. My whole body is kind of aching but the leg is really bad."

"Your muscles were under extreme stress from the tremors, the relaxant worked fairly well but can't prevent the soreness you're now feeling, but you should be fine tomorrow. If you're not getting dizzy when you get up, you can go home and I like to see you again next week. Come see me immediately if your headache gets worse or you get sick."

"Thank you Mark. For everything you've done for me."

"You're welcome Steve and I'm very happy to see you back on your feet."

Dr. Mark Hope says his good bye to Cath and Danny and is gone again.

"So you ready to go home," Cath is now looking at Steve, who kind of looks like as if he is going to fall back asleep.

"Yeah guess so."

"Wow that is enthusiasm, don't be too excited about it," Danny is looking somewhat strangely at his friend. He would have guessed that he would jump at the chance to leave the hospital.

"I'm happy to leave, I'm just not feeling so great right now. I can't explain it, I feel like I could sleep for a week and I'm not even sure I'll make it home."

"Come on sailor we get you dressed and home so you can sleep in your own bed. And if you're going to do that for a week that is fine with us. Wow there - don't fall, are you dizzy," Cath is grabbing his arm when he starts to sway when he gets out of bed.

"Yeah a little," Steve is holding on to Cath for a few seconds until he finds his legs. "Thanks."

Steve gets dressed and out of the hospital under his own steam, but is really glad to sit down again in the car. If he weren't so damn tired he would really enjoy his first drug-free night but he is asleep before they even leave the parking lot.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading.<br>**_

_**And as always a little sneak peek into the next chapter, we're closing in to the present day, we're almost there.**_

**Chapter 22 - PRT**

**Two weeks ago (105 days after the crash)**

Lieutenant Rollins is sitting with her colleagues at a late lunch in the mess hall after her shift ended when she gets the call to report to sick bay ASAP.

"What do they want from you at sick bay," Lieutenant Ben Taylor wants to know as she is getting up from the table.

"No idea Benny. See you on Monday, say hi to your wife for me," Catherine is leaving with the bad feeling that this is about Steve who is on base for his PRT's.

It only takes her a few minutes to reach her destination, where Lieutenant Commander Summers is already waiting for her.

"Lieutenant Rollins, this way please."

"Ma'am, what is this about?"


	22. Chapter 22 PRT

**Yeah! Season 2 starts tonight. I hope everyone will be able to enjoy the show!**

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><p><em><strong>What is PRT? It's the Physical Readiness Test, for a detailed explanation see end of chapter.<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 22 - PRT<strong>

**Two weeks ago (105 days after the crash)**

Lieutenant Rollins is sitting with her colleagues at a late lunch in the mess hall after her shift ended when she gets the call to report to sick bay ASAP.

"What do they want from you at sick bay," Lieutenant Ben Taylor wants to know as she is getting up from the table.

"No idea Benny. See you on Monday, say hi to your wife for me," Catherine is leaving with the bad feeling that this is about her friend who is on base for his PRT's

It only takes her a few minutes to reach her destination, where Lieutenant Commander Summers is already waiting for her.

"Lieutenant Rollins, this way please."

"Ma'am, what is this about?"

"Oh I'm sorry. This is not an official call, but I know that you're friends with Commander McGarrett and I just want to make sure that he gets home safely. I hope you don't mind that I called you?"

"No ma'am of course not, did he get hurt?"

"No don't worry he is fine. As far as I know he passed his PRT with flying colors, I think with a score of 90, he also passed his flight test, but he completely tanked his second physical for combat flying. Puked all over the place and passed out, that's why he is here," they now have reached the cubicle where she can see Steve sitting on the examination couch.

He is looking rather embarrassed at her, but is sporting a smile. He is only clad in his fatigue pants and a former white t-shirt. No shoes or socks and his clothes have seen better days.

"I'll leave you alone for a minute, be right back with your discharge papers," she is smiling at McGarrett.

"Thank you."

"Hey," Cath is giving Steve a gentle kiss despite that they are on base and kissing is on their no-go list while in uniform, "you okay?" She's smoothing his sweat soaked hair back and he gets the treatment of another kiss on his forehead, which actually makes him grin even more.

"Yeah I'm good. It's just that I completely embarrassed myself in front of everyone. Passed out to boot," he hangs his head like a kicked puppy whose bone was just taken away. If he wouldn't look so pathetic she would laugh out loud at the sight in front of her.

"Oh come on I'm sure you're not the first one who didn't pass," she is now sitting down next to him.

"I did not just not pass, I puked all over the place, I think I even hit the commander when he got me out of the seat."

"Well hazard of the job, getting puked on by McGarrett," that actually makes him chuckle a little. "Commander Summers said you passed all your other tests?"

"Yeah went pretty well, I had to cut back a little on the run, my leg started to hurt, so I took it a little slower, cost me some points. I'm officially declared fit for duty. Also got my flight license renewed, but not the combat part. I have to come back and do it again in about four weeks."

"Your leg okay?"

"Yeah it's fine, my ankle is bothering me a little. Maybe I should have taken the swim option instead of the one and a half mile run. But I needed to know that I can do that, we're not very often swimming after suspects," Steve is only half joking.

"Where are your boots?"

"No idea, don't even know why I'm out of them," Steve looks around for his boots but can't see them anywhere.

"Looking for something, Commander," his doctor is standing in front of them with his boots in her hands. "You were trying to leave while you were pretty out of it, so I thought it would be safer for you if I hold on to your boots for a while," she is smiling at him while he gets a nice shade of red.

"Sorry. Don't remember wanting to leave."

"That's fine don't worry, you were actually very nice and polite about it, very persistent but in a really cute kind of way. After I got your boots off, you calmed down. Was quite funny actually. Don't sweat it Commander you behaved yourself very well."

Dr. Summers is handing over the boots and discharge papers.

"Please remember to get him home and make him rest. If he gets dizzy or sick again, please go seek medical attention," after Cath is looking questionable at her she is elaborating some more. "Commander McGarrett hit the deck pretty hard when he passed out, one of the guys managed to get his foot under his head before he hit the ground, so he didn't hit his head on the concrete floor. We checked him out regardless, but everything looks fine. Just watch him for the next twenty four hours."

"Yeah will do."

"You two do know that I'm in the room, right," Steve is looking rather pissed at them when they talk about him like he was not even there.

"Yeah I know Commander, but I heard from good authority that you're not very good at following the doctor's advice."

Steve is looking at her and wonders who ratted him out. He by now has tied his boots and is ready to leave.

"Commander please listen to what I've told you, get some rest. I know you feel fine, but you did some pretty hard exercises today, so please go home and sleep. Don't make me regret letting you go."

"I have nothing planned for today, I'm just going home and do nothing. That okay?" Steve really doesn't like to be told what he should or shouldn't do, not since he's off the drug. Getting rid of the schedule to take his medication really boosted his confidence in his abilities and he can practically feel how he is going back to his old self. _Your old self would not have puked during the test_, that damn little voice is back. _Yeah yeah whatever_.

"Okay good, have a good weekend and I don't want to see you again, at least not here," Lt. Cmdr. Summers is leaving them to their own devices.

"So you're ready to blow this joint?"

"Yeah let's go," he hops off the exam couch, sways a little but finds his footing right away.

"You okay?"

"Fine. Are you off duty yet?"

"Yeah I'm good to go."

They make their way out to the parked pick-up and Steve is not even putting up a fight to drive, which worries Cath a little bit.

"Don't worry I'm good, just a little dizzy. I just need something to eat and I'll be fine," Steve is telling her before she can get second thoughts about him being okay to leave sick bay.

"You like something specific? We still have left over from last night, we could eat rice with the chicken. That'll hopefully be light enough to not upset your stomach."

"Yeah sounds good," Steve is looking over to his friend and smiles to himself while she concentrates on driving off the base.

"What? What are you smiling at," she sends an irritated glance at him.

"Nothing. Just happy to go home," that was not what he wanted to tell her, but it's what's coming out, "Catherine?"

"Yeah?"

He is looking over to her and is still struggling to find the right words, "I'm smiling because I'm happy to be with you, I'm happy with my life because I can share it with you."

Catherine is looking at him, amazed at what he just told her. Steve is not one to verbalize his feelings much, that makes her cherish such a declaration even more.

"I love you Steve and I'm happy that you let me into your life," she gives him her best smile and they fall silent for the rest of the way, just enjoying each other's company. No words are needed; they both know how they feel for the other.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Time (16 weeks after the crash)**

**Queen Medical Center Room 625**

"You're not going to eat that!"

"What are you talking about Danny, this is absolutely great and Kono made it for me. Of course I'm going to eat it, you should try it, you'll love it," Steve is grinning at his friend and puts another little cube into his mouth, "Hmmm, this is great Kono, thank you."

"You're welcome boss."

"You guys are sick, how can you eat that stuff?"

"Danny you have no idea what you're missing. This is one of the few sweet treats I can't resist. I love Haupia, now shut up and eat your green jello."

"But that is just coconut and sugar. . ."

"And my mom's secret ingredient," Kono is grinning.

"And what would that be," Danny's not sure if he really wants to know since he thinks that those little white cubes are not very appetizing.

"It's called a secret Danny. You know the concept of secret, right?"

"Yes Steven I know the concept of a secret, if not before but clearly after I met you, since you seem to have so many."

Steve is not answering but savors another cube of Haupia, "Kono please tell your mom that these are the best Haupia I ever had. Whatever the secret is, it's great."

"I'm sure she will be happy to hear that," Kono is snatching one of the cubes.

Danny and Steve are both looking much better by now, they were both allowed to take a shower and Mark Hope was in again and declared them both good to go in the morning. Danny's face turned into a bright red by now but it looks like he is going to get away without a severe sunburn. He still has a pretty bad headache and when he gets up he still gets dizzy, so Dr. Hope told him to stay in bed. Steve on the other hand had pretty much bounced back to his old self. His back is still hurting but it improved greatly, so that only some movements are causing him more than the constant little discomfort he is feeling. But he spend most of his day out of bed, either on the couch going through files or 'running errands' for Danny, who absolutely hates to be confined to the bed. Which he is letting the nurse know quite loudly who just brought their pain medication.

"So Kono where is Chin," Steve asks between some more of his desert cubes that he puts in his mouth with his two pain pills.

"Boss if you keep eating them like that you'll get sick. Just a warning," she is smiling at his suddenly concerned face, "Chin is meeting with Scott from NCIS, he'll hopefully get the information on their 'operation' on that freighter."

"I still don't understand why they didn't stop us boarding the boat."

"Danny it's a ship not a boat. What I don't understand is why Catherine was not informed about it. I think the 'liaison' with the Navy and the police forces is not working so well yet. Maybe we should have a word with the admiral about that. It could have saved us and all of the agencies a lot of trouble if we'd known about the NCIS investigation."

"Steve you all right," Kono is looking at her boss with concern when he lays his head back on the pillow and closes his eyes. He is looking rather pale despite the light sunburn. "Are you getting sick?"

"No, I'm just dizzy. I hate this damn vertigo but I'll be fine, don't worry. And I'm not getting sick from Haupia," he is grinning at Kono. "Did you find anything out about our dead suspect Akira?"

"Yeah quite a bit actually, he worked for a company called 'Sunrise Enterprises'. It seems like he was the runner, he did all kind of courier services. Whatever that means."

"Sunrise Enterprises sounds familiar. I think I should know that name."

"What do you mean you should know the name? Steve you mean from one of your secret investigations?"

"I don't know Danny, I still have some trouble with my memory. Some parts of my brain are still working a little slow and I can't call up information like I could before, some of it is just below the surface and I have to think about it before I can get it. But I'm sure I heard that name before."

"Did you talk with Dr. Hope about it," Danny didn't know that Steve had still problems with his memory.

"Mark said not to worry, but that the memory about the hours after the hit to the head might be lost forever. I still only remember bits and pieces. I do remember the actual crash when we hit the ground, the noise, the pain and confusion but nothing about wandering through the jungle, well almost nothing. Anyway, you read the Yuri file, you remember Sunrise Enterprises?"

"No. I don't think there was any mention of that, you think they are in connection to Vitali or his former partner?"

"I have no idea Danny, as long as I don't remember where I heard the name before I can't say. I was hoping that you know it."

"No sorry."

"Boss I'm sure it will come to you. Akira worked for the company for over four years, made quite a lot of money actually. His bank statements are very surprising, he attended night school to become an accountant of all things."

"Wait a minute, the guy that ran from us, hit Steve and told us about the freighter is a student with a steady job,. . ."

"And a house and a wife. He cut all his ties to his former gang four years ago and oddly enough he never got into trouble again after that. You can't just leave a gang without any trouble following you. Something about this is very wrong," Kono is looking at her two colleagues, she is still the inexperienced one, even though she's seen quite a lot in her months with Five-0. She can't make much out of the information, it all seems very strange.

"If we were in Jersey, I'd say he was under protection from really high up. Guess the same rules apply in Hawaii, crime organizations are the same all over the world."

"So everything changed when he took the job with Sunrise Enterprises," Steve is asking while he is getting off the bed.

"Where you're going?"

"Bathroom Danny, you wanna come," he is grinning at his friend and disappears into their actually very spacious bathroom. But at the moment he doesn't care how ridiculously big the adjoining room is, he is closing the door and leans against it. His hands are shaking and he is dizzy his heart is racing, he slowly slides down to the floor when his trembling legs are no longer able to carry his weight. He is scared, this never ever happened when he was not seriously injured with fever and on heavy drugs. He can feel the flashback coming and there is nothing he can do to prevent it. _This is it, this is the end of your career, of your job with Five-0, this is your psychological breakdown. In a bathroom, how very fitting, since your life is just going down the drain._ But something about this feels wrong, he has trouble breathing now like with a panic attack, but he knows that he doesn't have one. And he is sure now that he is not having a flashback, he is aware that he is still sitting on the bathroom floor, shivering and trembling barely able to get any air into his lungs. He knows that something is seriously wrong when he starts to seize, of course by then he is losing consciousness really fast and it's too late to call for help.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Now what the hell happened? Can't that guy catch a break? Obviously not.<strong>_

**Chapter 23 – Scaring his friends**

**Present Day  
>Queens Medical Center Room 625<strong>

"What's taking him so long," Danny is looking at the bathroom door, behind which Steve disappeared about five minutes ago, "Steve!"

"Steve, is everything all right," Kono is knocking on the door after Danny's yelling was not a success. When that is also only answered by silence she opens the door, or at least tries to. She has to put her weight into it to get the door to move. "Oh my god, Danny get help!"

Kono can hear Danny yelling for help outside their room, but she is now focusing on her boss who is lying deadly still on the tiles, she checks his pulse and is glad to find one, a very rapid one but she takes what she can get. His breathing is shallow at best but before she can decide what to do next some nurses and Dr. Hope are there, she makes room for them and watches them help their friend.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>For everyone who might be interested:<strong>_

**What is the PRT?** **P**hysical **R**eadiness **T**est

Navy Physical Fitness Program

**The ****Navy's Physical Readiness Tests**, which include associated height/weight/body fat measurements, **are conducted twice ****each year for active duty and reservist sailors**. It is also tested at boot camp for recruits upon arrival into the Navy.

The test is designed to measure flexibility, muscular endurance and aerobic capacity. The Navy physical fitness test consists of a **1.5 ****mile run**, **sit-ups** and **push-ups**. Also swimming 500m for time is an option for the 1.5 mile run once you are active duty. This is a standard PT test used by other branches and many law enforcement agencies across the United States.

**PRT Scoring: **

The Navy PFT score is determined by averaging the scores of the three fitness events.

For example, let's say a 25 year old female does 91 curl-ups (sit ups), 26 push-ups, and completes the 1.5 mile run in 15:23. Looking at the female age 25-29 chart, we see that is worth 85 points for the curl-ups, 65 points for the push ups, and 55 points for the running event.

**To find the average, we...**

1) Add the Scores Together (85 + 65 + 55 = 205)

2) Then Divide by 3 (205/3 = 68)

This sailor would receive a PRT score of 68, which we can see on the below chart is categorized as "Good (Medium)."

To graduate boot camp, a sailor needs an overall category of "Good (Low)," which means their average in three events must be 60 points or greater.

After boot camp, **to pass the periodic Navy fitness test, a sailor needs to be in the Satisfactory (Medium) category, or above, which means they must have an average score of at least 50.**

**Points Assignment are:**

Category / Level / Points

Outstanding / high / 100

Outstanding / medium / 95

Outstanding / low / 90

Excellent / high / 85

Excellent / medium / 80

Excellent / low / 75

Good / high / 70

Good / medium / 65

Good / low / 60

Satisfactory / high / 55

Satisfactory / medium / 50

Probationary / 45

**_Basic Training Minimum Standard = 60_**

**_Navy PRT Minimum Standard = 50_**

**Performance**

**Category / Level / Points / Curl-Ups / Push-Ups**

Outstanding / high / 100 / 105 / 87

Outstanding / medium / 95 / 103 / 86

Outstanding / low / 90 / 98 / 81

Excellent / high / 85 / 94 / 77

Excellent / medium / 80 / 90 / 74

Excellent / low / 75 / 87 / 71

Good / high / 70 / 78 / 64

Good / medium / 65 / 66 / 55

Good / low / 60 / 58 / 47

Satisfactory / high / 55 / 54 / 45

Satisfactory / medium / 50 / 50 / 42

Probationary / 45 / 46 / 37

**Performance**

**Category / Level / Points / 1.5 Mile Run**

Outstanding / high / 100 / 8:30

Outstanding / medium / 95 / 9:00

Outstanding / low / 90 / 9:15

Excellent / high / 85 / 9:45

Excellent / medium / 80 / 10:00

Excellent / low / 75 / 10:30

Good / high / 70 / 10:45

Good / medium / 65 / 11:30

Good / low / 60 / 12:00

Satisfactory / high / 55 / 12:45

Satisfactory / medium / 50 / 13:15

Probationary / 45 / 13:30

The Navy SEALs, Navy SWCC, Divers, and SAR swimmers naturally have more water based fitness tests and training.

This article should help many with finding the standards you should reach prior to joining the military. It is always recommended to never strive for the minimum physical standards when seeking a profession that requires a fit body to perhaps save your life or the lives of your comrades. If you are seeking to get back into shape and want to be as fit as one of the above military members, check with your doctor before starting any fitness program.

_Info provided by: Stew Smith - a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.__  
><em>


	23. Chapter 23 Scaring his friends

_**So did we all calm down a little after the excitement of episode 2x01? I just loved it. What a great episode! And so many little missing scenes, there will be a fanfiction galore I'm sure. Can't wait for all the great little stories that I'm sure will surface soon.**_

_**If you like to know what I'm planning and working on right now you should check my profile again, I just updated it.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>I like to thank all of you again for reading. Now on with the story and let's find out what happened to Steve.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23 - Scaring his friends<strong>

**Present Day  
>Queens Medical Center Room 625<strong>

"What's taking him so long," Danny is looking at the bathroom door, behind which Steve disappeared about five minutes ago, "Steve!"

"Steve, is everything all right," Kono is knocking on the door after Danny's yelling was not a success. When that is also only answered by silence she opens the door, or at least tries to. She has to put her weight into it to get the door to move. "Oh my god, Danny get help!"

Kono can hear Danny yelling for help outside their room, but she is now focusing on her boss who is lying deadly still on the tiles, she checks his pulse and is glad to find one, a very rapid one but she takes what she can get. His breathing is shallow at best but before she can decide what to do next some nurses and Dr. Hope are there, she makes room for them and watches them help their friend.

"BP 70 over 40, oxygen level is 89, pulse 113 – let's get him to the ICU now," Dr. Hope is giving Steve two shots in his IV port that was still not taken out and helps to load him on a gurney. "Get some oxygen into him, BP is rising, good let's move people."

"Kono go with him, I get dressed I'll be right there."

"Danny you have to stay in bed," Kono is taking just one look at Danny and shuts up immediately. "I stay with Steve."

"Good choice," Danny is grabbing the duffel bag Cath brought for him and is dressed in under two minutes and is on his way to the ICU to find out what the hell happened to his friend.

They have to wait twenty five agonizing minutes until Mark Hope is finally joining them in the waiting area of the ICU.

"How is Steve? Is he all right, what the hell happened? One second he is fine and the next…"

"Danny! Steve is fine. I'm going to keep him for a few hours but then he will be back in your room. He had an allergic reaction, he had an anaphylactic shock but responded to our treatment right away, he is stable now and will be fine in a few hours."

"Allergic reaction? From what?"

"I'm still waiting for the blood test, I don't know yet. Did he eat anything that was not from the hospital?"

"I brought him Haupia, but he was eating that for over half an hour before he went to the bathroom."

"No that's not it, that's too long."

"Steve is not allergic to any food, not as far as I know. He can't take Percocet and he's allergic to oxycodone," Danny remembers now that Steve told him about that on their first visit to an ER so many months back.

"I know Danny it's in his medical file and he is only getting Tylenol with Codeine, he has no problem with that."

A nurse is interrupting with the test results. "How is that possible? Danny you remember which nurse gave you your medication?"

"What! Why?"

"Steve has a high level of oxycodone in his blood. Someone gave him the wrong pills."

"That is not possible, Steve always checks what he is taking, if those pills would have looked any different he would have seen that."

"Danny they're not pills, they are capsules. What if someone changed the content and tried to kill Steve," Kono is as sure as Danny that their boss would not have taken the wrong pills.

"I want a full investigation of this, I want to talk to every nurse, every doctor," Danny starts to sway and would have fallen if Kono and Dr. Hope wouldn't have taken him by his arms.

"You will go back to your bed Detective," Mark Hope is trying to guide him back to the elevator but with very little success.

"I'm not leaving Steve's side until he is back in our room. I will sit down, but I will stay next to him. If you won't let me do that, I will sign out AMA and put Steve under protective custody, your choice," Danny is not moving and stands as tall as possible. Of course the desired effect is a little mellowed by the fact that he is still swaying and looks rather green around the gills.

"Fine, go sit with your friend before you fall down. But as soon as Steve is back in the private room you will be back in bed. Is that understood?"

"Yes doctor, thank you."

Danny and Kono are led to the ICU room where Steve is settled in bed by now. He is attached to all kind of monitors that are all beeping seemingly in normal parameters, at least that is what Dr. Hope is telling them. He has an oxygen mask on and an IV is providing fluids but he seems to sleep peacefully.

Danny is sitting down in the chair provided by one of the nurses and takes Steve's slack hand in his, "You scared us, don't do that again." He smiles when he can feel his hand being squeezed. "Hey you awake? Steve can you hear me?" Another weak squeeze is the answer. "Just rest some more, you're okay now. Go to sleep, I'll be here, keeping the nurses from poking you too much." It takes a few moments before Steve's hand goes slack again and Danny is sure that he is back to sleep.

"Kono can you please call Catherine and tell her what happened? She won't be able to come, well I don't think so, but we should let her know."

"Yeah sure I'll call her and contact Chin. We will be back later, Danny please watch him."

"I will Kono don't worry," Danny is looking after her and settles down to keep watch over his friend.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is inwardly groaning when he becomes aware that he is again in the ICU. He can feel a few electrodes attaches to him and a nasal canula is providing oxygen. _Well at least you don't have one of those nasty masks on, or a ventilator_. That thought actually lets him shudder, which gets not unnoticed by Danny who is still sitting next to his friend's bed.

"Steve are you awake?"

"Hmmm."

"Can you look at me?"

Steve is blinking a few times but is rather quickly able to focus on Danny. Come to think of it, he feels pretty good and wonders why he is in the ICU in the first place, "Why am I here?"

"Because you my friends almost died. Again I might add."

"Huh?"

"Huh? That is your response? Seriously? Hey don't go back to sleep, keep your eyes open. Steve come on concentrate on me," Danny is looking with worry at his friend. Dr. Hope told him two hours ago that Steve should wake up, but he is obviously taking his sweet time to come around.

"I'm not going back to sleep, just thinking."

"Yeah well think with your eyes open please," Danny smiles at his friend whose annoyed face makes him chuckle, "You want some water?"

"Thanks. Danny what happened, why am I in the ICU and why aren't you in bed?"

"What's the last you remember?"

"We were talking and Kono brought Haupia. The nurse gave us our meds, I'm a little fuzzy after that, I wasn't feeling well, went to the bathroom. I remember that my hands started shaking, I thought I get a flashback, that never happened before 'just like that'. I got scared and couldn't breathe by then I was sitting on the floor. I don't know Danny I don't remember anything after that."

"You had an allergic reaction to oxycodone."

"What? I'm highly allergic to it, how did I get it? The pills were Tylenol, Danny I know what I took."

"I know you do, we think that someone tampered with them and put the oxycodone in it."

"You think this was an attempted murder? There are easier ways than an anaphylactic shock in a hospital. Danny that is not a very clever attempt, I mean what are the odds that I actually die from that with immediate access to treatment? I mean out in the field that's another matter, if I wouldn't have an epi-pen with me, but in a hospital? That is just stupid."

"You have an epi-pen?"

"Yeah, I mean I don't have any other allergies but the Navy made me carry it after my first allergic reaction, now it's just out of habit to have it on me. Never needed it though."

"Maybe you're right and someone just wanted to send a 'warning'?"

"A warning? Who would go through all that trouble, fixing the pills, sneak into the hospital, switch the pills? That is a high risk operation and there is no easy access to the medication. That must have been an insider. Or a former insider."

"Stephanie?"

"We don't even know for sure that she is back on the island. Let's not speculate but wait if we can find anything out first. Do I have to stay here any longer?"

"No not much, Dr. Hope just wanted to keep you for observation for the standard six hours, which you passed two hours ago, but as usual you didn't want to wake up. Why do you always take so long?"

"Is that a serious question Danny?"

"Yes it is, you scared us shitless a few times by now with your tendency to not wake up. None of your various doctors ever looked into that?"

"Well Detective that is actually an interesting question. Hi Steve how are you feeling," Mark Hope is just entering the room.

"Hey Mark. Besides from a headache I feel pretty good. I'm a little dizzy. And I'm hungry. Can I leave?"

"Leave? No Steve you can't 'leave'. But I will transfer you back to your room, where your friend here WILL stay in bed," Mark Hope is glaring at Danny.

"I told you I will get back into my bed as soon as Steve is back to his bed."

"Fine, so we're clear on that."

"Did I miss anything," Steve is looking from his friend to his doctor.

"Nah not much, just your stubborn friend who was not willing to leave your side."

"Yeah he can be like that," Steve is smiling his thanks to his friend.

"So about your headache. I'm sure Danny told you what happened? Good. The headache is just a result from the rollercoaster your body went through, it should pass soon. I will check on you again in a couple hours but I don't expect any complications. Your vitals are all back to normal, you responded to the treatment very well. The oxycodone also left your system completely. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be released by tomorrow afternoon."

"You said in the morning," Danny can clearly remember that he said morning.

"Yes I did, but Danny you just spend eight hours in a chair. You did not rest and your friend here almost died, so yeah you're going to be released in the afternoon. Even that won't make your stay a full forty eight hours, you should spend another night, but I'm willing to let you both go, if you all go to Steve's house and stay there with someone to watch you."

"What? That was never part of the deal. Why do I need to go to Steve's?"

"Danny please just say yes, so we can both leave tomorrow. I really like to get out of here," Steve is looking at his friend and hopes that he will not put up a fight, he wouldn't have the energy to fight over that with his friend. He just wants to go home, sleep in his own bed and make sure that Danny is safe and sound in the guest room. "Danny come on, a concussion can be a real bitch, you know that I know what I'm talking about. 'I' would feel a lot better with you nearby." _Oh McGarrett getting the big guns out? Yeah well, oh shut up._

"Fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll come to your house."

"Thank you Danny."

"Good now that's settled I will send a nurse in, who will unhook you from all that stuff and transfer you back to your room."

"I can walk there."

"Steve I highly doubt you want to walk there, in case you haven't noticed this is the ICU, where patients are not really dressed," Danny is smirking when he sees Steve's mortified face when he realizes that he is not dressed at all.

"Where are my clothes? Please tell me you didn't cut off another pair of my favorite sweats, please not my lucky t-shirt too?"

"Afraid so," Dr. Hope is trying very hard not to laugh at Steve's devastated face.

"Damn!"

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>See that was not too bad for Steve, well I guess that is debatable. But who tried to kill him, or was that not an attempt on his life? Any guesses?<strong>_

_**So what's next for our duo? Check out chapter 24, soon to be posted.**_

**Chapter 24 – First day at work**

**Last week (107 days after the crash)**

"Morning Cath, you're up early," Steve is sitting at the table in the kitchen, nursing coffee that's long been cold and is not looking very happy.

"Yeah well the bed got a little lonely. Why are you up in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night, it's almost four thirty."

"As I'm saying, middle of the night," Cath is smiling at her friend, but she can't raise a smile out of him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Huh. That's why you're sitting in the kitchen, in the dark with a cold coffee in your hands?"


	24. Chapter 24 First day at work

_**I hope everyone will have a great time with the new episode tonight. Can't wait to see it.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24 – First day at work<strong>

**Last week (107 days after the crash)**

"Morning Cath, you're up early," Steve is sitting at the table in the kitchen, nursing coffee that's long been cold and is not looking very happy.

"Yeah well the bed got a little lonely. Why are you up in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night, it's almost four thirty."

"As I'm saying, middle of the night," Cath is smiling at her friend, but she can't raise a smile out of him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Huh. That's why you're sitting in the kitchen, in the dark with a cold coffee in your hands?"

"It's not 'dark'. Sun's almost up."

"Steve can we please stop this nonsense and can you just tell me what is bothering you?"

He is just looking at her but says nothing, he feels kind of ridiculous but he is really dreading to go to work in the morning. He was waiting for this day to come, he was sure to get nuts if he would have had to spend one more day behind his desk, but now that the day is there, he is kind of very apprehensive to claim back his job as head of the task force. Sure on paper he was that the last months but he knows that he really was not.

"Steve what is it, are you feeling okay," Cath is getting worried that the tests at the base have been too much or that he hit his head harder than they thought when he passed out.

"I'm fine, don't worry. It's just, I don't know."

"Something is bothering you for weeks now and I respected that you didn't want to talk about it, but Steve please just tell me what is bugging you."

"I'm not part of the team anymore," he is suddenly blurting out.

"What? What are you talking about? What gives you that idea? Steve that is just ridiculous."

"No it's not. Kono, Chin and Danny became very close in the last few months. They went out into the field without me for almost four months now, they formed a new dynamic, one I'm not involved in. They are a new team Cath, I'm not part of them anymore. I stayed back at the office for so long now that I don't really know where I belong."

"You belong with them Steve."

"No. They experienced a lot together that I was not privy to, they spend a lot of time together outside of work that I was not involved in. They really bonded. We can't just fall back to how it was before, I can't just break up the team for my sake. Before we were mostly in pairs Danny and me, Chin and Kono. Of course we rotated that on occasion but I was mostly out with Danny. Now it is completely different, they work great together as a pair of three. They enjoy working like that, I can't just take that away from them."

"What are you saying exactly?"

"I don't know, I guess I'm going to play it by ear. I'm just going to wait and see. But to tell the truth I feel a little like it's the first day of high school, like I don't know anyone and don't know what is going to happen."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine and your worries are completely unfounded. You'll see."

Of course that is not how the day will play out. A few hours later Steve is at the office, early, since he was up in the middle of the night, he has to smile at the thought of Cath out of bed in search for him. It's not even eight a. m. when he reaches their offices and he is the first to arrive. A few minutes later Chin comes in but is not seeking him out but goes straight to his office. It takes until nine a. m. that they are complete and a few minutes later Danny calls Chin and Kono to the smart table. Steve is leisurely walking to the table as well and listens to Danny telling about the last part of the ongoing investigation of the murder of two women at the Hilton. A crime they were investigating since last week, now they have found the guilty party and are ready to make an arrest. Of course Steve was informed about it but he had not a big part in it.

"Chin, Kono you two go ahead and meet with SWAT I'll be there soon, I'm just going to pick up the arrest warrant. Meet you there in twenty," Danny is telling his two teammates.

They are almost at the door, when Chin and Kono smack into Danny who abruptly stops. Steve can hear a faint 'Oh shit' and has to smile despite the stupid situation.

"Steve I'm sorry, I just, well you know," it is actually quite funny to see Danny squirm and not knowing what to say.

"It's fine Danny. You guys go get him. I'll be here when you get back. Now go!"

Danny is looking at Steve and is not sure what to make of his smiling boss. He didn't mean to undermine Steve's authority in any way, it's just that they were so used to Steve staying back and letting Danny rule the place that he didn't even think about that Steve is now back full time.

"Danny go, besides I'm not officially back yet, I still need to see Jameson in an hour, she needs to 'reinstates' me," Steve knows that it's only a formality since he spoke with her on the phone yesterday and she gave him back full authority of Five-0.

"Okay, we'll be back soon. I think we need to talk."

"Yeah we do. Be careful."

"Hey no one was getting shot at as long as you were behind your desk, we're not going to change that now," Danny didn't see the hurt look on Steve's face when he is leaving the office to arrest their suspect.

_He didn't mean that you were the reason for them getting shot at. Yeah right._ That damn voice is getting pretty annoying. Steve is looking after his team, well Danny's team at the moment and thinks about what to do now. His paperwork is done, for the first time since he took over Five-0 he has no unfilled forms lying around, waiting to get done. He even reorganized the filing system in his spare time at the office while his team mates where out 'hunting' criminals. He never liked the office-part of the job, but being an officer in the Navy, well it's part of the job. Especially during his time with Naval Intelligence. And he is, contrary to Danny's believes really good at it. Even though he prefers to be out of the office and not doing any paperwork. But what has to be done has to be done, that is something he learned in the Navy.

Steve is looking around his office and considers what to do next when his phone rings.

"McGarrett."

"Sir this is Officer Maine from the front desk, there is an officer here to see you. Ensign Rodman."

"I'm in my office, can you send him up please?"

"Yes Sir."

A few minutes later he greets a very young Ensign, obviously just out of the academy.

"Ensign Rodman, what can I do for you?"

"Sir I have to deliver this envelope to you," he gives Steve a manila envelope with the Navy Logo and 'Confidential' on it. It's sealed and Steve has to sign for it.

"That's it?"

"Yes Sir."

"Thank you Ensign. When you leave please sign out at the front desk."

"Yes Sir."

Steve looks after the young sailor and sits down to open the envelope. In it are some forms for him to fill out and a letter, well actually it's the order to report to active duty in five weeks. He is called up to his first three-week duty. He knows that it's part of the deal he made to be able to head Five-0, one weekend a month and instead of one year active duty after five years in the reserves, he has to go active twice a year for three weeks if there were the need for him. He actually thought that he would never be called to active duty, because to be honest what do they want with him for just three weeks? Okay yes he stays in shape and current with all the training on the weekends once a month, but he is really curious what they expect him to do. He is not even sure that he can do what they want him to. Yes he passed his PRT but he is not in top shape, he couldn't do much for over three month with his leg in a cast. He is just now slowly going back to his normal training schedule.

One look at the time shows him that he will be late for his meeting with Jameson if he's not going to hurry. He puts the order in his desk and on his way out he thinks about when to tell the team. This couldn't have come at a worse time, just when he is trying to figure out how to fit back in, he is called up for duty. Could his life suck any more?

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day (118 days after the crash)**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

Steve was transferred back to their room and as promised Dr. Hope checked on him about two hours later and found nothing wrong with him, even his headache had abated by then. Now he is sitting in his bed, wide awake and listens to Danny's snoring, who was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was almost midnight when they got back into their room but since he slept all afternoon and way into the evening he is really not tired at all. But of course there is not much to do. Cath was there for about an hour before she left with the promise to come back in the morning, hopefully with some more information about the stake out of the freighter by NCIS.

He thinks about the order that is still lying untouched in his desk for almost two weeks now. He didn't tell anyone yet, not even Cath. He is not even sure why he didn't tell them, but somehow it was never the right time for it. _Yeah right. That is a stupid excuse. You really need to stop with these conversations._ He knows that he needs to tell them and soon, they need to know that he will be gone for three weeks without being able to tell them where he will be or what he will be doing. Just three more weeks and he will be donning his uniform again. If he is honest with himself he is kind of excited about it, he missed being on active duty a little bit.

After another half hour lying in bed awake he has enough and carefully gets out of bed, grabs his backpack that Cath brought for him with new clothes, which hopefully will not get cut off of him in the near future. He silently slips into the bathroom and puts on his standard clothes of cargoes, shirt and boots. Not that he is going to leave the hospital but he can't roam the hallways in a hospital gown. He hopes that the cafeteria is still open and that he will be able to get a decent cup of coffee. He remembers how very good their coffee was when he stayed here so many months back.

He cuts the light before he opens the door so not to wake Danny. He checks on him before he leaves and has to smile at his sleeping friend, never in his life did he have such a loyal friend. Just today he showed his friendship again when Danny sat in an uncomfortable hospital chair keeping watch over him for more than eight hours. Well sure he would have done the same, but Danny has a concussion and if anyone knows what that means it's Steve. He knows that Danny is feeling like crap and sitting up for so long is no fun. Steve pulls the blanket up a little higher and Danny 'comments' that with a content sigh.

Steve silently slips out of their room and can see that the night seems to be very quiet, at least on this ward. He checks in with the nurse station to let them know where he is going, he really doesn't want a hospital wide search for him, when they discover that he is not in his room.

"Commander it's the middle of the night, if you can't sleep we can give you something for it."

"No that's fine I'm just going to walk around for a bit, I'll be back in an hour. I'm allowed to get up so I'll be fine."

"Okay but if you're not back in an hour I will send security after you. And don't leave the hospital."

"I won't, I'll be in the cafeteria."

The head nurse, Dorothy, gave up getting the commander do something he doesn't want to a few month ago when he was on her station the first time. He is one stubborn son of a. . ., _no he is not_, she has to admit, she thinks that he is rather cute and sweet. Always very polite and never in a bad mood, well it's a good thing that she doesn't know his other side. The pissed off SEAL that is one personality she should be thankful not to have met yet.

She lets him go, even though she should make sure that he spends the night in bed and not roaming the hospital. She looks after him and has to smile when he winks at her when he enters the elevator.

Steve enters the cafeteria and can see that of course only hospital stuff is sitting at the mostly empty tables. But the joint is up and running, his friends would think he's gone completely off the rocker if they would see his menu. An extra-large coffee, extra-large banana shake, tuna sandwich with fries and all the trimming. As soon as he set foot into the cafeteria he could actually hear his stomach rumbling, he didn't eat all day. Somehow he missed all his meals, well except the Haupia Kono brought him. Normally he wouldn't touch fries at all, well almost never, but today this is just what he wants. He finds an empty booth, not really a hard task in the almost empty cafeteria and sits down to enjoy his meal. He is half way through his sandwich when Mark Hope joins him.

"May I?"

Steve almost chokes on his shake when Mark suddenly appears next to him, he was so totally engrossed in his meal that he didn't even notice that he had company until was spoken to.

"Mark! Yeah sure, please have a seat."

"Steve what the hell are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"Well I can see that, but why are you not in bed where you should be? What is it with you and leaving your bed?"

"I'm not tired, couldn't sleep. Have a lot on my mind at the moment. Besides Danny is snoring like crazy," Steve smiles at his doctor.

"Yeah I'm afraid he's getting a cold. So what's on your mind?"

Steve is contemplating talking to his doctor, who became a good friend over the months. He pushes his now almost empty plate away and slurps on his favorite shake some more before he answers, "I'm having some trouble adjusting back into the job."

Steve is telling him about his fear that he is not really belonging anywhere. Not into the Navy since he is a reservist and not really into Five-0 after he was left out for all those weeks.

"Steve you were not left out, you were on light duty. You were involved in all the cases as far as I know, just not in the raids or the chases. But that is not all that police work is about, isn't it. I mean I happen to know that you cracked some cases wide open with your investigations from your desk. I know for a fact that Danny was very impressed with what you can accomplish from behind the lines. Guess being in Navy Intelligence taught you quite a lot. So why do you think you were not involved?"

Lt. Commander McGarrett is a little speechless about what his doctor just told him, "Danny was impressed?"

Dr. Hope has to smile at the almost childlike response, "Very impressed actually. He told me that he never thought about your capability as an Intelligence officer and that your former job was quite similar to what a detective does. He said that you were essential to a lot of the cases, that he sometimes felt they just did the legwork while you were the head behind all of it."

Steve's head is actually spinning from what he just heard, in the last months he felt pretty much useless and to hear now that the others thought about his work totally different than he did is quite a shock.

"Steve you catapulted yourself out a little, but your friends were eagerly awaiting your return to full time. Danny told me how he missed you having his back. I know that they treated you like you were an invalid at times and that you hated every minute of it, but Steve they had only your best interests in mind, they probably overdid that a little."

"A little?"

"Yeah well okay a lot. But Steve I know that they really missed you being out with them. Don't think otherwise. You belong with them, the four of you are a great team. Put everything that happened after you were kidnapped past you. You had a head injury that really messed with your emotions, your feelings, and especially with your perception of what was happening around you. Don't rely on those months to make a judgment on where your place is Steve. That head injury really screwed you up big time, you were not yourself, and it was very hard for the others to be around you. Whatever they did, it would have been the wrong thing. Don't judge them. They did what they thought best."

"It's not like there is a switch and I can turn it off, what I feel I mean. I want to go back to before, believe me I want to, but I can't."

"Why not? What is holding you back?"

"I wish I knew."

"Maybe you just need another knock on the head," Steve is looking at his doctor like he has lost his mind. "I'm kidding Steve."

"Right."

"Finish your drink and I'll take you back to your room."

"I can find my room on my own."

"I know you can and you will probably even go there from here. But I want to take another look at you. Did you experience any vertigo when you came down here?"

"In the elevator, that was not a pleasant ride."

"Yeah I can imagine, but you shouldn't experience those problems for much longer. How is your back?"

"Don't ask."

"Well since it is my job and I get actually paid for asking those pesky questions, I really like to know."

"Hurts, but not as bad as in the morning and before you can ask about them, my ribs are doing fine."

"Good let's get to your room I like to take a look at your ear again. You look a little flushed, you feel warm?"

"Yeah a little. You don't think I'm getting an infection? With my luck I probably will no matter what kind of antibiotics you're giving me."

"We're going to take your temperature and some blood. Maybe we need to switch antibiotics, but let's not jump to conclusions, you are one of those people who are getting a slightly raised temperature for all kinds of reasons. Most times there is nothing serious behind it."

"When I was little I often had a fever for no reason at all. They never found out why that was, my sister never had a fever, not even when she was sick," Steve remembers that he found that always very unfair.

"It's just like with the normal body temperature, for some people it's just a little higher than for others. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be fine."

They by now have reached room 625 and are entering, trying not to wake Danny, who is still peacefully snoring.

"Now I know what you mean, is he always like that?"

"Not that we have that much experience sleeping together, but no, he normally doesn't snore at all," Steve is going to Danny's bed when he sleepily opens his eyes, "It's okay Danny go back to sleep." Amazingly he just turns and sleeps on.

"He very stubbornly refused to leave your side today, he is really exhausted and should rest the next two days."

"I'll make sure that he will, I think it's time for a little payback in that regard," Steve tells his doctor with a smile.

While they talked Steve changed into some sleep shorts and a t-shirt and is lying down in bed. He can feel now that he is bone tired but his mind is still going a-mile-a-minute and he is sure that sleep will not come easily.

"Steve does your ankle hurt," Mark Hope is checking the position of the brace, but seems satisfied with it.

"No not much. I had a brace like that for a long time when I broke my ankle the first time. It's actually not in the way and it really helps a lot."

"Good. Your knee is still pretty bruised, any pain?"

"No it's fine."

Dr. Hope is looking at Steve's abdomen that is still just one big bad bruise, "Do you use the ointment I prescribed for you?"

"Yeah, but it's not helping much, argh, keep doing that if you want to see me puke," Steve is looking at Mark who is still pressing on his tender muscles.

"Sorry. Okay let's take a look at your ear and we're done."

Steve doesn't like the instrument that Mark is putting into his right ear one bit. It's not painful but really uncomfortable, he is glad when Dr. Hope is done after just a few seconds.

"Looks good Steve, I don't think we have to worry about that. You were very lucky, it's really a very small tear but with the saltwater entering your inner ear that can be quite messy. Does it cause you any pain?"

"Just a little, it's okay. But my back is acting up some more, can I get something for it?"

"Yeah sure, you want a sleeping aid?"

"No. Nothing that knocks me out, just something to take the edge off."

"Okay, Dorothy will bring you something. Try to sleep some. I will see you again before you get released."

Steve settles down in bed and pulls the cover up a little more. A few minutes later the night nurse is bringing him two pain pills and draws some blood to check for any infection. Contrary to his believes he is asleep in a matter of minutes after that, joining Danny in the snoring match.

H50 - H50 - H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25 - Getting up to speed<strong>

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

Steve slept for a few hours and is now lying on his side and is watching his friend waking up. He has a whole new perspective on his future thanks to the talk with Mark Hope, he revealed things to him that he was not aware of. It seems now to him that his perception of the last four month were pretty off base, he has had time to think about his friends, and came to the conclusion that a lot of what they did was just out of concern and not because they wanted to get rid of him.

Steve smiles when Danny blinks his eyes and yawns noisily, "morning Danny."

"Hey. What time is it?"

"Five thirty," which lets Danny just groan.

"How can you be so chipper and wide awake at this hour," Danny is almost accusingly looking at Steve.


	25. Chapter 25 Getting up to speed

**Chapter 25 - Getting up to speed**

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center Room 625**

Steve slept for a few hours and is now lying on his side and is watching his friend waking up. He has a whole new perspective on his future thanks to the talk with Mark Hope, he revealed things to him that he was not aware of. It seems now to him that his perception of the last four month were pretty off base, he has had time to think about his friends, and came to the conclusion that a lot of what they did was just out of concern and not because they wanted to get rid of him.

Steve smiles when Danny blinks his eyes and yawns noisily, "morning Danny."

"Hey. What time is it?"

"Five thirty," which lets Danny just groan.

"How can you be so chipper and wide awake at this hour," Danny is almost accusingly looking at Steve.

Steve is just grinning at his obviously still tired friend, "How you're feeling?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? You were the one in the ICU."

"I'm fine Danny. How is your head?"

"You of all people know how my head is. Do I really need to answer that?"

"No I guess not. Just take it easy, okay?"

"Yeah," he turns on his side and faces Steve now.

"Danny?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry."

Danny is looking at him with an obvious question on his face, "What for?"

"For being such an idiot the last four months, for making your life really hard, for, well for not being myself I guess," Steve is sheepishly looking at his friend and is not sure that he can convey what he really wants to say.

"Steve no need to apologize, you were not an idiot, you were badly hurt and I think you were pretty messed up. Don't apologize for being injured, it was not your fault."

"I was in the cafeteria last night," that gets a glare from Danny, "and I had a talk with Mark. He told me some things and put a lot of stuff into perspective. Danny I felt pretty useless the last months and I felt like an outsider, I still do a little, please let me finish. He said I should put that time behind me and move on. Danny did you really think I did a good job, in the office I mean?"

Danny looks at his friend and can see the uncertainty in his eyes, it pains him that his friend really can't see what he accomplished even though he was badly injured and only on light duty. And that he is not aware of how much he was missed and how very much his friends wished for him to come back. He gets really serious when he finally answers him, "Steve you were brilliant, I know you hate the time in the office, but you're damn good at it. We would not have been able to solve the cases that quickly and efficiently without your help. But to tell you the truth, I don't want you behind a desk, I really missed you next to me. It got pretty boring to always drive my car by myself. We need you out there with us babe, please come back to us, I mean really back to us. We need you, we WANT you with us. Please don't ever doubt our friendship or our partnership."

"You really mean that?"

"Yeez Steve will you snap out of it already! You're driving me nuts. I want you Steve, all right? I love you man, can we please stop this sappy shit and move on? Man you really need to stop with that self-doubting thing you've got going. I hate so see you like that."

For the first time in months Steve is really smiling at his friend and he feels liberated and like he can really move on and actually come back to his job and his friends who he missed so much.

"Thank you Danny," it is almost whispered, but Danny can hear it just fine and he knows what his friend is feeling right now. Danny can see it in his eyes. Gratitude, friendship and love. And that is not sappy at all.

H50 – H50 – H50

They can see it right away when they enter the hospital room. Something epic happened over night. Danny and Steve are chatting animatedly and are laughing about something, Catherine and their two team mates, Chin and Kono, are looking at each other and are smiling knowingly. They finally have their friend back, it seems like the old Steve emerged over night and they couldn't be happier about it.

"Good morning you two, you seem to be in a good mood," Cath is giving Danny a light pat on the shoulder and bends down to her boyfriend for a really nice good morning kiss.

"Excuse me you two, could you be a little more discreet maybe?"

"Why Danny, you jealous," Steve is grinning at his friend after he let go of Cath.

"Steve are you okay, we were worried last night," Chin is looking at his friend and thinks that he looks pretty normal.

"Yeah I'm fine, no lingering effects. We will both be released in a few hours."

"You don't have to stay? You almost died just a few hours ago," Kono can't quite believe that he would really be released so shortly after being in the ICU.

"Okay listen, the allergic reaction caused my blood pressure to drop to dangerous even life threatening levels and if I wouldn't have gotten medication I would also have stopped breathing, but after the BP is back to normal and the agent I'm allergic to is out of my system, I'm fine again. I was only in the ICU for observation for six hours, yes Danny I know I took eight hours, that is standard procedure. An allergic reaction can lead to death but with the right medication right away it's actually nothing that will keep you down for long. So really you can relax, I'm fine," Steve knows that it is a hard concept to get that one can be back to normal in a matter of hours, sometimes even just minutes after being seemingly so close to death.

"Did you have this before?"

"Yeah Kono once, back then I didn't know that I was allergic to Percocet, no one knew. I took the pills without question and dropped down not even a minute later. It was a more severe reaction than this time, probably because I was in bad shape even before that, I got shot the week before. I was out for two days."

"How often did you get shot, or were in the hospital," Danny is looking at his friend, he wanted to check out his Navy file but was not able to get a lot of information. Steve's personal file is sealed.

"That's classified Danny."

"Of course."

"So, what did you find out? Chin any news from Scott?"

"Yes. He handed over their investigation and only asked to be kept in the loop."

"That doesn't sound like NCIS, you sure there isn't something fishy going on? I mean I've never known them to be so cooperative. They've been practically feeding us information from the beginning. Something doesn't feel right about this. Cath you know anything about Scott, I can't remember his last name," Steve is looking at Chin for help with that.

"Scott Mountin"

"Chin I trust your instincts, but I have a lot of experience with NCIS and they are a very closed off Agency, they don't like to share. They are really good at what they do, but they DON'T share. So in your opinion Agent Mountin is legit?"

"Well. . .sorry Cath you go first," Chin is looking at the Lieutenant.

"No that's okay, I never met Agent Mountin. I always talked to Agent Otis, but Steve is right this is not like them at all."

"Well I can't talk for NCIS, but Scott seems the real deal to me. When we investigated your kidnapping in the hospital he was genuinely concerned about your wellbeing, he was almost eager to help out. He called a few times and told me his findings, he shared information on any of his interviews, let me see his notes and we even talked to their ME together. I can only say that he really cared about the investigation and that he was only interested in the best result and he was not into a pissing match about Agency jurisdiction or something like that. So yeah he is the real deal and I'm sure he is a good investigator, he didn't give me any reason to believe otherwise."

"Did any of his information lead you anywhere?"

"No. But we didn't get very far either with our investigation. Everything seems to turn out to be a dead end."

"How about Sunrise Enterprises? Anything on them?"

"You remember where you know that name from?"

"No Kono it's still below the surface, but I'm working on it. It'll come to me," Steve thought about it but other than giving him a light headache his memory search was pretty fruitless.

"We checked all their accounts, well at least as far as we were able to without a warrant, nothing suspicion about that. They don't seem to have any accounts outside the States. We did find one former CEO who has an account in Japan. But he was let go two years ago."

"Two years?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you have a picture?"

"No not yet, his personal file seems to be missing, so I'm waiting for some footage from last time he was at the airport. We will have that soon."

"There are no pictures of him anywhere else?"

"No, I found that rather odd myself."

"Why do you find an ex-CEO so interesting Steve?"

"I don't know Danny. He was canned two years ago and has a bank account in Japan. I think he is the one in the picture, remember the one with Mark in it, from two years ago, the one I took in Japan? Before we took down Yuri."

"I thought they were declared innocent bystanders?"

"Yes they were, for our mission to take down the weapons dealer ring. But we never investigated thoroughly into it. They have no connection to Yuri, but what if they have connections to Vitali? We could never pin anything on Vitali, he really is very clever."

"Are you still suspicious about Dr. Hope?"

"NO. Absolutely not. I know that he is not involved. I just know that he has nothing to do with Vitali or Yuri."

"Okay. What do we do next, look into Sunrise some more?"

"There has to be a connection. I mean they were able to protect Akira from his former gang. You can't do that with really good connections."

"Wait a minute, you think that Vitali is behind this weapons dealer? Steve we have no evidence for that. Just because the freighter goes to Japan and back here on a regular basis doesn't mean anything. I know you think that Vitali and his gang are back in Hawaii, coming here on that freighter. But Steve you're sure that is not just your imagination? I'm sorry, but there is absolutely nothing to back that up," Chin is looking at his boss and waits for him to get into his face for this, but is very surprised by Steve's reaction.

"You're right Chin. It is very convenient and I did jump to conclusions. I can't back anything up, but I know that I'm right. I can't explain it. This is what separates us, that shows that I'm not a cop, I don't think like you do. I know we need to back this all up with evidence before we can act. And we will. But I 'know' that Vitali is here and that he is behind the weapons ring, just to rub our nose in it. Please trust me on this, I did this for a living for a long time, I know what I'm talking about."

"Steve I think I can speak for all of us, we trust your instincts, so we will look into it from Vitali's angle. We will take a different approach to this, we will not follow the evidence and see where it leads us, but will start from the finish line so to speak and look for evidence to back it up. Everyone in agreement? Danny? Kono? Cath? Okay then, while I suggest that you two try to sleep some more, you guys look awful, Kono and I will go talk to Akira's wife. Catherine could you go and check if there is any additional footage of the NCIS surveillance, maybe you two are right and they are holding something back," Chin is looking at his boss only now aware that he practically took Steve's job.

"I think that is an excellent plan. Chin keep us posted please. We have a last check-up with Mark in three hours and will be released after that. If it's all right with you we meet at 6 pm at my place?"

"Yeah good. Come on Kono let's go, Cath you coming?"

"Yeah in a minute Chin," Cath is still sitting on Steve's bed on his right side not willing to leave right away, she looks after them when they leave the hospital room. "So you guys okay to get home alone?"

"We're not five year olds that need constant supervision Cath. We will get home just fine on our own."

"Well Steve I'm not so sure about the supervision, but I trust you two to get straight home and rest. Especially you Danny."

"Yes ma'am. We'll get a cab and won't stop anywhere on our way home."

"Good," Cath is now focusing her attention on Steve, gently stroking his hair back, which lets her frown, "You're awfully warm. Steve you feel okay," she has her hand on his forehead where it is not covered by the bandage and can clearly feel that he is too warm to the touch.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a slightly raised temperature, was 100.5 half an hour ago. I'll be fine, you know that my temperature always rises when I'm stressed. Don't worry, there is no infection or anything else wrong."

"People don't get a fever for no reason," Danny is chiming in.

"I don't have a fever. My temperature is slightly above normal that's all."

"Okay. I'll leave you two to it now. Get some rest. I'll see you both tonight. Don't cause any trouble."

"Hey 'I' never cause trouble. But don't worry I'll keep an eye on your man."

"Glad to hear that. Later guys," Steve is at the receiving end of a kiss that is raising his temperature a little more and Danny gets another pat on the arm before she hurries after Chin and Kono.

"Steve?"

"Yes Danny?"

"Can I ask you something, something very personal?"

Steve is looking over at his friend and is pretty sure what his question will be, "Yeah sure."

"You and Cath."

"What about us?"

"You know what I mean. How serious are you two?"

"I love her Danny. Since the day I met her. I met her ten years ago and I never ever was with another woman in those ten years. I never wanted to. I know that Cath loves me, but you see we were both really busy with being in the Navy, sometimes we only saw each other a few weeks a year. We always spend our leave together, we had some great vacations. Right from the start we both made it clear that we wouldn't talk about love or being together. I told her that I love her for the very first time four month ago in the hospital. I always knew that we were exclusive from the start, but Danny we never talked about it. I love her more than I can tell you but this openness is based on traumatic events. If I wouldn't have crashed into the jungle and getting hurt so badly, I would not have told her that I want to be with her. I'm just scared that our whole relationship is based on two people needing each other during a tough time. On the other hand she asked for a transfer right after I decided to stay in Hawaii all those months ago."

"I think your worries are completely unfounded. Cath does not only love you, she is in love with you. Anyone can see that when she looks at you. And you my friend are so completely in love with that woman, whenever you lay eyes on her you're practically glowing with happiness. Talk about your fears with her, I bet she has the same doubts. You would both be idiots if you wouldn't be together, and quite frankly miserable for the rest of your life. And that would make me miserable to endure your miserable self every day."

"We are together, we even live together. I think we are just a little different, we don't even have a nickname for each other," Steve just can't picture himself calling Cath 'honey' or something similar.

"Oh don't worry she will come up soon enough with some lovely names for you, not all of them will be very nice. I'm just saying that since you settled down in Hawaii it might be time to really settle down. You know with a family an all."

"What? You want me to ask her to marry me?"

"Steve that's not what I'm saying. But you haven't been with another woman for ten years, sounds a lot like marriage already. But I'm not talking about getting married, I'm talking about starting a family. I never thought I'd say this but you would make a great father."

"Danny slow down, I'm not at a point in my life where I want to think about that. I'm just trying to figure how to live with someone under one roof. I'm definitely not ready to have kids."

"I'm just saying that you would be great, I'm not saying that you should start right away. Just think about what you want and when you have an answer for yourself, ask Catherine. Ask her what she wants."

"Okay, that I can do. Thanks Danny."

"Yeah you're welcome, now go to sleep, Chin is right you do look awful. You sure you feel all right?"

"Danny don't start. Not you too, I'm fine."

"Okay if you say so. But I'm not going to haul your ass back here when you keel over when we're home, so you better be okay. If not now is your chance to tell me," Danny is looking at Steve who is just rolling his eyes and settles down in his bed. "Fine have it your way."

"Shut up Danno."

"Keep that up and 'I' will come up with your first nickname."

"Can't wait."

Danny's grumbled reply falls on deaf ears.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>So now our boys are almost ready to leave the hospital again. I'm sure they can't wait. ;-)<strong>_

_**Thanks again for reading.**_

**Chapter 26 - Back in the game**

**Last week **

Steve's first week back at work went by in a blur, even though there was no case to investigate. Only thing they did all week was tying up loose ends from the Hilton murder case. The paperwork they had to do was almost overwhelming and he and Jameson attended more press conferences than he can count. A murder in a popular hotel is really bad for tourism, so to keep the impact at a minimum, Steve was answering question after question by news reporters from what he thought around the world. He even was wearing a suit and tie, very much to the amusement of Danny. But Jameson insisted since he looks 'so good' suited up. It was kind of funny that on his first week back full time, ready for action, he spend even more time behind some kind of desk than in the weeks before. Which did nothing to improve his mood, of course his team-mates tried their best, but were at their wits end by Friday. Only thing now to do was just to avoid him altogether.


	26. Chapter 26 Back in the game

**Chapter 26 - Back in the game**

**Last week **

Steve's first week back at work went by in a blur, even though there was no case to investigate. Only thing they did all week was tying up loose ends from the Hilton murder case. The paperwork they had to do was almost overwhelming and he and Jameson attended more press conferences than he can count. A murder in a popular hotel is really bad for tourism, so to keep the impact at a minimum, he was answering question after question by news reporters from what he thought around the world. He even was wearing a suit and tie, very much to the amusement of Danny. But Jameson insisted since he looks 'so good' suited up. It was kind of funny that on his first week back full time, ready for action, he spent even more time behind some kind of desk than in the weeks before. Which did nothing to improve his mood, of course his team-mates tried their best, but were at their wits end by Friday. Only thing now to do was just to avoid him altogether.

They're all more or less relieved when he comes back from the last conference with the Governor and other officials and declares that he'll leave early. Danny is looking rather worriedly after his friend when he leaves HQ at not even two p. m. on a Friday afternoon. He would have gone with him, but the team and Catherine set up a meeting with one of the managers at the Hilton Village at four p. m. to plan Steve's surprise birthday party, Danny found out not long ago that he never had a party since he was a teenager, so they made it their mission to throw a party for their friend.

They are more than a little surprised to see Steve and Grace while they are waiting to meet with Mr. Kenji. Danny wants to intercept them right away but is held back by Kono, so he stands back and just watches his now smiling friend interact with his daughter; their animated chatter can be clearly heard from behind the plants that separates the different areas at the Hilton.

Steve is at the Hilton with Grace in tow, who he picked up from school. His mood has improved tenfold by this time and he is smiling down at his little companion who is telling him all about her day at school after they emerge from the changing cabins. One dressed in navy swim shorts and one in a light blue swim suit since Grace is still in her 'blue-phase'.

"Uncle Steve I'm so happy Mommy allowed you to pick me up, and it's not even Danno's weekend. Uncle Steve do you think I will take long to learn to snorkel?"

"No I think you will be really quick, maybe just a few lessons."

"Oh."

"What? Gracie what is it?"

"Uncle Steve I like going swimming with you, but when I learn it too fast, then we won't go."

"Oh. Well Gracie we can go swimming even when you're done with your class."

"Will you take me to the waterpark? Maybe Danno will come too, he hates the water but if you come he might like it a little more."

"Grace you know that your dad will go to the waterpark with you if you ask him."

"Yes I know, but he would do it for me, not because he likes to go. I know that you would love it there and would have fun just like me. But Daddy would only be there because I asked him to. That is not the same."

"Hmm, I guess you're a little right about that. But the important part is that your dad loves you so much that he even would set foot into the water. I mean come on Danno and water don't normally mix," he smiles when Grace is giggling about the thought of her dad in the water or actually on a water slide.

They're looking at the pool where a bunch of kids are already in the water, playing around and waiting for the class to begin. Some parents are also in the water and are more or less huddled in one corner and watching their kids. Steve is not really sure what to do, he hasn't thought about this part of the class, to actually mingle with the other parents, while 'his kid' attends her lesson. But he is saved by the instructor of the class.

"Commander McGarrett, we talked on the phone, I'm Kiara," a friendly looking woman in her mid-twenties is shaking his hand. She is not one of those bikini-girls size one, but a short sporty woman with a twinkle in her ocean blue eyes, which match exactly the color of her bathing suit.

"Hi I'm Steve and this is Grace."

"Nice to meet you Grace. Steve would you help me out today? My partner called in sick and we have too many kids in the water to watch them just by myself. I really don't want to cancel the class and you're more than qualified to help me, besides that saves you from mingling with the bunch of parents," she is grinning at him.

"Uncle Steve that would be so cool. Please?"

"Sure if you think I'll be of help."

"Are you kidding me? Come on let me introduce you to the parents, but I'm sure they are fine with the change of plans. I mean when do they get the chance to get their kids trained by a SEAL and the Head of Five-0," after seeing Steve's questioning look she clarifies her statement. "Oh please you were all over the news the last week."

Steve is just shaking his head and endures the introduction to the parents who were already looking at him and Grace with interest. Steve would probably have been mortified if he'd known that his team was watching them with hardly contained laughter at the sight of a very uncomfortable Steve who was politely shaking hands.

"Okay let's get started. Steve can you take the line over to the other side, so that we separate our side of the pool," she indicates the line that needs to be towed to the other end of the pool.

"Sure," with that he is in the water, taking the end of the line and swims to the other side to secure it there, glad to be out of the reach of any of the parents. He felt so out of his element with them that he wished that his partner would be here, he is so much better with idle chatter about their kids than Steve could ever be. But now in the water he feels right at home and relaxes. Grace has reached him by now and they start to splash around, he lets her dunk him under and retaliates by throwing her through the air to splash into the water a few feet away. Something she absolutely loves, she's coming back up laughing and swims right back to him for another throw.

Danny is watching his friend and can't remember ever seeing him being so relaxed. He is a different person when he is with Grace, something that always amazes him to no end. When Kiara calls for the lesson to start he and his friends leave to meet with Mr. Kenji. All of them with a smile on their face after seeing Steve and Grace obviously having fun.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Day**

**Queens Medical Center, Room 625**

As promised Dr. Hope comes by before Steve and Danny are released at around 3 p. m. to give them last minute instructions, "Danny please remember to rest at least until tomorrow. Don't dive right back into work and I want to see you again next week. Steve please come see me also next week for your final checkup for the case study. We have to fill out one last form and do one last MRI."

"Another one? You've got to be kidding me, come on is that really necessary?"

"Steve it's part of the case study, but after that you're done."

"Yeah well I hate to lie in that thing, not being able to move makes me uncomfortable," Steve doesn't mind so much when he is pretty much out of it anyway, but he absolutely hates to be in such confined spaces when he is completely alert.

"I know that you always get very anxious in it, I'm sorry," Dr. Hope feels for Steve but he can't change the fact that they need a last MRI of his head. The pharmaceutical company insists on it and they paid a lot of money for Steve so it is a small price to pay for all they did for him. Even though it benefit them as well.

"Fine I'll be here," Steve is still grumbling while Danny smiles at the interplay. He knows that Steve really doesn't like to do those tests but will do them anyway.

Mark Hope is checking their various injuries but is very satisfied with their progress and tells them that they are indeed good to go, "Steve please remember to be careful don't climb on any ladders or on a chair or something like that. And Danny you need to rest a little more, both of you don't overexert yourself."

They say their good byes with the promise to be back next week.

"So are you ready to go or do you want to complain some more," Danny is looking at his friend who seems to be still talking to himself.

"Very funny Danny, do you know how often I was in that torture chamber by now?"

"Don't you think that is a little harsh, I mean what are you complaining about? You're not claustrophobic, so what's the problem? It only takes a few minutes," Danny really doesn't see the problem.

"I know, it's just I don't like to lay on my back and they put that holding thing over my head, I can't move and I. . ."

"They restrain you in it?"

"What? No of course not. Only my head is fixated so that they can get a clear picture. I don't like that."

"Oh okay. You want me to come?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want me to come with you, keep watch while you lie in there?"

"Thanks Danny, I know you would, but it's okay, I'll manage. I don't like it, but I can do it. It's not like I break out in a panic or anything like that. I just don't like it."

"Good. But if you change your mind, I'll be there, no questions asked. Just you and me."

Steve is looking at his friend and is again amazed how very much Danny has him figured out by now. He knows that Danny would go with him and if necessary hold his hand the whole time and never ever tell a soul about it. That thought actually makes him smile, "Thanks Danno."

Danny is just grinning back at his friend, "You ready to go? Did Cath bring the car or do we need a cap?"

"They don't want us to drive. Well I can't but I don't see any reason why you can't drive. You're not dizzy anymore, are you Danny?"

"No not for a few hours now. Wow you let me drive?"

"Well if we don't want to end up wrapped around a tree or something I probably shouldn't drive while I still have a problem with vertigo. Mark said it should stop in a couple of days."

"So now we only need a car."

"Oh I thought of that and organized it last night. Called Kamekona and told him we needed a ride. His old jeep is in the parking lot, so we're good to go."

"So what are we waiting for, let's go," Danny can't wait to leave the hospital and expresses his impatience by slapping his friend good naturally to move along. Unfortunately right on the spot where the lid hit him not that long ago.

"Argh," Steve looks like he is gonna puke any second but is not moving to the bathroom but sits down on the couch with his hands gently placed on his stomach. "What was that for?"

"Steve I'm sorry, you gonna be sick?"

"Don't think so, give me a minute, room's spinning."

"Sure take all the time you need. I'm sorry I wasn't thinking. Your upper belly still looks pretty nasty, does it hurt much," Danny saw the bruises when he made Steve show him the angry red streak from when the lid hit him.

"Only when pressed on, it's really tender, too much pressure and I'll puke for sure," Steve has is hands still on his stomach and waits for the nausea to leave him some more so that they can finally leave. Of course it would help if the room would stop moving around him, he leans his head back and closes his eyes but that only makes it worse so he snaps them back open.

"Steve you don't look so good, you want some water or something?"

"Or something Danny? What would that be? No I don't want anything, you know what this really pisses me off."

"Hey I said I'm sorry."

"What? No Danny I'm not mad at you! It's okay. Danny I'm so tired of getting sick and dizzy, I hate this shit. I thought I'd put that past me and now again I have to deal with dizziness and feeling like crap. It's just frustrating you know?"

"Yeah I hear you. But you know you will feel better in the morning. We just go to your place have a nice relaxing evening and sleep it off."

"Relaxing and sleeping it off? You really think that is going to happen?"

"Yeah we make it happen. If you want we could even stay here, sleep another night, get dinner served, have some cute nurse watch over us,. . ."

"I think you got hit on the head harder than they thought. Spent another night? Get out of here, come on," Steve is up from the couch and pushes his friend out of the door, "I'm not spending another minute here."

"All right, all right, I'm going, stop pushing me around, you big goof."

"I'm not a goof Danno."

"Yes you are, and besides I say that as a form of endearment," he was waiting to get back at Steve for that comment for months now.

"Right."

The two friend's banter can be heard all the way down to the parking lot. Some nurses will even swear that they were giggling, but of course men don't giggle, so those nurses must have heard that wrong.

H50 - H50 - H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading and for your patience. Here is the sneak peak into the next one:<strong>_

**Chapter 27 - Let it all out**

**Present Time (Monday, 121 days after the crash)**

**Five-0 HQ**

"I'm not letting you drive MY car! Not until you can walk in a straight line," Kono and Chin are looking at the glass door through which Steve and Danny are just coming in, loudly arguing.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine!"

"Yeah sure you're fine, that's why you almost tumbled down the stairs this morning, because you're fine."

"Danny I told you I stumbled over your shoes, which YOU left on the stairs. Who in his right mind leaves shoes on the stairs? I could have broken my neck over your damn loafers."

"Oh come on you stumbled and missed a step, you didn't even fall. . ."

"HA, I told you I stumbled, nice of you to admit it. Next time 'I' drive," Steve is very smugly looking at his friend.


	27. Chapter 27 Let it all out

_**I have to say I loved episode 2x03. Thank you so much for giving us some info on SEAL-Steve and for letting the team in on what he did for a living. I'm sure they see him in a different light now. And I'm so glad we have Joe White around for a little longer, I just love their relationship.**_

**An how cool was it that someone is going after a whole SEAL team, I mean that is what this story is all about. :-)**

_**I'm really curious if we will hear about 'Strawberry Fields' again. Was Steve a target too? Guess we have to wait and see.**_

_**But now on with the story, here is the next part.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27 - Let it all out<strong>

**Monday (114 days after the crash)**

**Tripler Army Medical Center**

Steve is walking down the hallway to meet with Dr. Jordan for his weekly meeting, they cut back on the sessions a couple weeks back. Now they're only meeting once a week, except for last Monday where JoJo was again on the Mainland. He is just about to round the corner when he stops in his tracks, Dr. Neill is just leaving JoJo office. He looks rather disturbed and Steve wonders what his visit to JoJo was about.

"Petty Officer, good morning," Steve is greeting JoJo's assistant when he enters her outer office.

"Commander McGarrett, Doctor Jordan will be ready for you in a minute. Can I get you anything? A coffee or a soda?"

"Can I have some tea?"

"Sure of course," she is looking up when JoJo comes out of her office to get her next patient.

"Steve, good to see you. Please come in. Gates, no phone calls the next hour please?"

"Yes Ma'am of course. Commander I'll bring your drink in a minute."

"Thank you Petty Officer," Steve follows JoJo into the office and sits down in his usual place: the comfy armchair across her desk.

"So how are you doing Steve?"

"I'm good. Well maybe not good, but I'm doing okay."

"Sorry I had to cancel our meeting last week. Steve I have the reports from your psych eval and your PRT here. Did you see Mark after your physical," Dr. Jordan is looking at her patient but before he can answer they get interrupted by her assistant who brings Steve his tea.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Anything else Captain Jordan?"

"No thank you," JoJo waits until Petty Officer Gates leaves the room, "Tea?"

"Yeah I like tea, besides my stomach is a bit sensitive at the moment, wasn't feeling well last night."

"You okay now?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"So about your physical, did you see Mark after it?"

"Yeah Cath called him Sunday evening, I had a headache since Saturday that got pretty bad and just wouldn't leave me. He came by the house, took a look at me and gave me a shot. I was fine the next morning. Why do you ask?"

"Well first of all I was worried when I read the report that you passed out and hit your head."

"Don't be, I didn't 'hit' my head, was more embarrassing than anything else. Really I just got dizzy and sick during the test. No big deal, really, I'm fine."

"Glad to hear that. I don't think your friends and me included could take another head injury. So be careful, okay!"

"I try to be. That the only reason you asked?"

"No actually I was 'hoping' that we could use that in some form to help with the petition to get you off the witness list. Steve I'm afraid we won't have much luck with that, your psych eval is spotless. I don't think we will get you off the list and that means you have to testify."

"This whole psych eval stuff is pointless. They told me I'm fit for duty, they said 'I'm fine', we both know that that is not true. Just because my problems won't affect my work-performance doesn't mean that I'm fine. Normally I would not be allowed to see you anymore after I 'performed' so well in the eval, we both know that not seeing you would lead to affecting my work. So what good is that crap," Steve knows that he shouldn't raise his voice like he does.

"Steve why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry," his voice and face tells a different story.

"Okay you're not angry, care to tell me why you're yelling?"

"I'm not yelling."

"Steve."

"I'm not," Steve is looking at JoJo and knows that he is being childish and for the first time he doesn't know what to do. He always told JoJo everything, he never held anything back at least not for long. Sometimes he needed a little time to tell her but in the end he always did. And he always felt better afterwards, but this time is different. He doesn't even know where to start.

JoJo is watching the inner battle that Steve is fighting, she decides to just wait him out, she knows that he will not tell her anything if she is going to push him. So she settles back and watches the show in front of her, but she doesn't have to wait for long until Steve tells her about his problems.

And he tells her every little detail about his worries not to belong anywhere; his worry that his team is going to detest him if he is going to split them up because he partners with Danny again; how he is scared that he might lose Cath, that he might screw up; his difficulties to ease into life as a couple; Grace is worrying about him and his uncertainty to handle her the right way; his call up for active duty and his worry to tell his friends; his nightmare's about the pending trial and his testimony; the problems with his memory; how he hates that he is still not back to a hundred percent; the headaches he is still getting every other day for an hour or so; his frustration that he didn't pass his flight physical, which he tells her twice; how very hurt he was by Danny's phone call to Rachel; that all what he told her is affecting him, that he is not standing above such things anymore; how his self-doubting is scaring him.

Steve talks for almost a half hour and Danny would be proud of his perfect ranting, especially about his wild hand gestures, which JoJo notices as 'Danny-like' with amusement. Finally he stops, emotionally drained and in danger of losing his voice, which is by now a little hoarse.

JoJo is looking at Steve who is slumped in his seat and has to smile a little. It was long overdue that he would finally let it all out.

"But you're not angry," JoJo can't but tease him a little, which actually makes him laugh.

"Guess I am. Thank you JoJo."

"For what? I didn't do anything."

"For listening and getting me to talk, I feel a little better now. At least I won't explode in the next minute anymore."

"Well that's good. You mentioned a lot that is out of your hands, you sometimes think too much about stuff."

"You should tell that to Danny, he thinks I don't think at all."

"I'm pretty sure he means that in a different way," she has to smile, she is sure that Steve has no idea how often he is mentioning Danny in some way or the other. She wonders if Steve is aware of how much influence Danny has on him. "We won't be able to go through all your worries at once, I'm going to tell you a few things today and you should think about that. I like to see you again tomorrow, can you make time for that? I think this should not wait till next week. That okay with you?"

"Yeah sure, I could come by after four tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"Yeah good. Now listen to me, you're doing a great job with Grace. Don't worry about that, you handling her really well. Spend as much time as possible with her and just do the things you always do with her. She loves you very much and it was very traumatic for her to see you so very hurt. You and her father have a dangerous job and she knows that. It's not easy for a child to learn to handle the fear of losing someone they love. You know that, your dad was a cop, you know how it is. I met Grace and Rachel lately and she thinks that it's important that Grace spends more time with her dad and you, I think she's coming around nicely. I hope that Rachel and Danny will work it out in the end, but I have my doubts, Grace is handling Danny's job way better than Rachel does. But you are doing fine with Grace, DON'T worry about it. And please stop worrying about losing Cath. I have no idea what you need to do before she would leave you. You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

"Well then stop worrying, just enjoy the time and see where it leads you. Last thing for today, why are you so frustrated that you're not back where you were before you got hurt? Steve you had a cast on your leg for over eleven weeks, quite frankly I'm very amazed that you're running around without a limp and passed your PRT with 90 points."

"I was really lame at the running part."

"Yeah well I highly doubt that. Steve give it some more time, I'm sure you will pass your flight physical next time. I'm really glad you decided to tell me your worries, we will work through them. I'm going to petition one more time directly with the judge, but don't hold your hopes up too high. I like to see you tomorrow at sixteen hundred."

"Okay. Thanks JoJo."

When Steve leaves the office he does so with the hope that everything will work out in the end, even though he knows that he has quite a bit of way ahead of him. He is sitting in his car when he remembers Dr. Neill and that he completely forgot to ask JoJo about him. _Ah well tomorrow_.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Present Time (Monday, 121 days after the crash)**

**Five-0 HQ**

"I'm not letting you drive MY car! Not until you can walk in a straight line," Kono and Chin are looking at the glass door through which Steve and Danny are just coming in, loudly arguing.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine!"

"Yeah sure you're fine, that's why you almost tumbled down the stairs this morning, because you're fine."

"Danny I told you I stumbled over your shoes, which YOU left on the stairs. Who in his right mind leaves shoes on the stairs? I could have broken my neck over your damn loafers."

"Oh come on you stumbled and missed a step, you didn't even fall. . ."

"HA, I told you I stumbled, nice of you to admit it. Next time 'I' drive," Steve is very smugly looking at his friend.

"We'll see about that, not before. . ."

"GUYS," Chin's voice lets them shut up and look at their two colleagues who are standing at the smart table and enjoying the morning show. "Good morning, did you have a quiet weekend?"

"Quiet? With Danny around? Are you kidding me," but Steve is smiling when he says it. "Thanks Chin the weekend was 'relaxing'."

"You two okay," Kono is looking at her two friends and must say that they look pretty good, Danny was in luck and his skin did not peel. Now he looks rather tanned than sunburned. Suits him just fine.

"Yeah we're good. My headache is finally gone so is Steve's vertigo," Danny grins at his friend, "So what'd you got?"

"Steve there was a call for you, number's on your desk, he asked for you to call him back as soon as you're in the office."

"Who was it?"

"A Lieutenant Stein," Kono is looking at her boss to elaborate but he doesn't.

"Oh, thanks Kono I'll call him when we're done here."

"All right. Chin and I went to look into 'Sunrise Enterprises' and found something interesting. They had a run in at the courts with 'Nakamura Foundation'. Sunrise was accused of hacking into the computer systems of Nakamura and of stealing personal information of their scholars."

"Do we know whose information?"

"Not in detail but it were the years 1985 to 1988 that covers the period of Dr. Hope's scholarship."

"Mark again. There is something we're missing. I'm sure that Mark is not involved in any illegal activity, but there must be a connection. It can't be a coincidence that his name always comes up."

"Steve I know you believe that Mark is one of the good guys, but you have no evidence for that. Maybe he is forced to do something. He could easily be responsible for switching the pills at the hospital, we don't know what his involvement might be. Steve keep an open mind about him," Danny is hoping that he is wrong and that Mark Hope is clean.

"No Danny, Mark is not involved, besides you have no evidence that he is involved in anything. I spend a lot of time with him and I know that he is clean. In this case I completely trust my gut. I can't really remember it and it's not in the file but I know that I investigated him in 2009 and declared him innocent back then. I have no reason to believe otherwise. We should concentrate on why his information was stolen. What is so special about him or the other people whose files were stolen? Chin is there a chance to get the information on the others?"

"I'm already working on that and we should have the court files in the next hour. Meanwhile we like to show you some other information Kono found about an associate of Vitali. I'm sure you will recognize him," Chin puts a picture of a dark colored man on the big screen. He looks like from South-America and somewhat familiar, but Steve can't place him.

"Should I know him?"

"You don't recognize him?"

"No. Who is it Chin?"

"Peter Alvarez, a former Marine. You had a run in with him, at least it says so in his arrest file."

"What was he arrested for?"

"You really don't know? You can't remember him? He was arrested for assault and battery and you were the one who took him down after he beat up a couple of women and a guy in a restaurant. It says that you intervened and 'subdued' him until he could be taken into custody by the local police. That happened about two years ago in Annapolis. You were pretty busy in 2009 it seems."

"What happened to him?"

"He was court martial-ed for assault and battery and also for conduct unbecoming. He was sentenced to twelve months confinement but was released on probation and he was dishonorable discharged. But there was no trial, he took the plea bargain."

"I remember being in a fight after I gave the last lecture of the week at the Academy and we went to a restaurant after. What's his connection to Vitali?"

"Wait a minute YOU gave lectures at the Academy? Now you're a professor or what," Danny is looking at his friend, who he learns something new about every day.

Steve is just grinning at Danny and doesn't tell him about his lecture 'Importance of Intel and Inter-agency-teamwork in connection to an OP under the watch of an Adviser and Communications Officer'. He remembers that he actually had fun that week at the Academy, well probably because his 'Communications Officer' was with him. "Just part of my job Danny. Chin you were saying?"

"Well he was paid ten thousand dollars from one of Vitali's 'secret' accounts in October 2009."

"October?"

"Yeah why?"

Steve is looking at his friends and thinks about a possible connection.

_***Los Angeles, International Airport, October 2009***_

Steve is tired from the long flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles, he only carries a duffel bag, so he doesn't need to wait for any luggage. At least he is in civilian clothes and not in uniform; he had to take a 'normal' flight back. There was no military flight available, for which he is thankful. To fly in a cargo plane is not the most comfortable way to fly, not that it is much more comfortable to be cramped in an uncomfortable seat for eleven hours on a commercial flight. Of course there was no flight to San Diego so now he has to take a rental car to get back to Coronado. And all this for nothing, his trip to Tokyo was a dead end. He was there to tie up the last loose ends after they took down 'Yuri's empire', which is not just the name for the OP but describes perfectly the huge organization that Yuri built over the years. Steve is sure to hear about that crime ring for some years to come.

The Japanese Intelligence Agency gave him insight into their files regarding Yuri and he came to the conclusion that some of the people in the surveillance pictures are indeed just innocent bystanders. None the less some of them will be on the radar of Navy Intelligence in the future. He is asking himself how one gets involved with such high profile criminals? Would he know if he would get close to such a person? Good on the outside but with an agenda of her or his own that is not so good after all? He has no easy answer for that and he hopes never to find out that he trusted someone who will in the end be the opposite of what he thought.

Steve is now easing into the traffic after he got his rental car and is on his way to San Diego, a two hour drive at this time of night. He is just entering the last intersection before he will be on the San Diego Freeway when everything around him seems to explode in a white haze. It takes him a few seconds to register the screeching of metal, takes even longer to register the sudden silence around him. The only sound is the hissing of the water from the burst radiator that is hitting the hot engine and the sound of his own ragged breathing. He becomes aware that he is leaning against the now twisted frame of the car door, looks like as if the whole car is twisted in some way or the other. He is looking up and can only see the huge front of a truck that is now in symbiosis with his SUV, he really can't say where his car starts and the truck ends. He wonders for a second why he is not dead after a truck just t-boned him on the driver side none the less.

It takes a few minutes before he can hear the first sirens and another few before the rescue team is at his side and assures him that they will get him out real quick. Well the 'real quick' takes almost an hour. When they get him finally out of the complete wreck everyone is amazed that he walks away from that accident. Of course they don't let him but take him to the nearest hospital by ambulance, secured on a backboard. Three hours later he does walk away, with some prescription for a headache, two stitches on his left forearm and the advice to put some ice on the bruises on his left hip. No one can really believe that he is alive and well without any broken bones and not even a concussion. The airbags really did their job and saved his life.

He is picked up by a driver that was send for him after he called his CO and reported the accident. A phone call to the police tells him that the truck was reported stolen and the driver was nowhere to be found. Finally on his way to Coronado he leans back closes his eyes and is asleep in under a minute.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Steve did they ever find the driver of the truck?"

"No and before you ask I didn't even see the truck coming much less the driver."

"You think it was Alvarez and the ten thousand was the hit money?"

"I don't know Chin I never thought about it much, I thought it was just a freak accident. But now I'm not so sure anymore. Vitali didn't know I was on the team that took down Yuri, took him two years to figure that out, at least that is what he told us. I don't know maybe it was just an accident, it just feels kind of odd you know."

"You were not hurt in the crash?"

"No not really, just bruises, nothing serious. Was a bit sore for a few days but that was it, guess I was really lucky. The car looked really bad, I saw pictures of the scene later in the police report. I would never have believed that anyone would have survived in that car."

"Regardless of his involvement in the crash, he has a connection to Vitali. Do we know where he is now and what he's doing," Danny is asking Chin while he looks at his friend who seems a little off right now, "Hey Steve you okay?"

"What? Yeah I'm fine, just trying to remember Alvarez. I mean you would think that I would remember him if I was in a fight with the man, but I only remember that Cath and I went to have dinner after we were done at the Academy. Guess that was another night where dinner fell through."

"You still have trouble with your memory? Why are not just the memories of four month ago affected?"

"I don't know Danny. The memory is there, I just don't have easy access to it. I know behind which door the information is but I can't find the right key on the key-chain, I just can't open the door."

"Well do what you normally do, just kick it in."

"Very funny Danny, I wish it were that easy."

"I'm sure it will all come back to you, in the meantime you might like to refresh your memory by talking to Alvarez," Chin is putting a new file on the big screen.

"What he is here in Hawaii? Danny what do you think about a little trip?"

"I'll drive."

"Yeah that's fine with me," he laughs at the stunned face of his friend after 'allowing' him to drive his own car. They are already on their way to leave the office when they are stopped by Chin.

"Wait a minute. I think we should all go, we have no idea what you'll find there. And Steve didn't you forget something, like a phone call?"

"Right. Listen one of you needs to follow up on the court files and one comes with us. I make the call and we can go."

Steve disappears into his office while Danny and Chin gear up to go after Peter Alvarez.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you will enjoy the future chapters, we're slowly coming to an end. Here's again a sneak peek into the next one.<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 28 - Merging the timelines<strong>

**Tuesday (115 days after the crash)**

**Governor Jameson's office**

"Danny did she say what she wants? She doesn't want me to go on another press conference, does she," Steve looks in horror at his friend, who can hardly keep his laughter in.

"I have no idea, she only said to come see her right away," Danny is keeping his voice low. "Maybe you should have come in a suit, I mean she really seems to dig that James Bond look."

"Will you stop that," Steve gets rather irritated about the jabs he had to endure the whole last week from his friends about him suited up for the damn press conferences.

"Why are you so uncomfortable about dressing up, you wore uniforms your whole adult life, you should be used to it," Danny really can't understand why it is such a big deal for Steve to work in a suit.


	28. Chapter 28 Merging the timelines

_**Finally we're going to reach the timeline of 'Present Day'. :-) Hope you will enjoy this chapter. Let me know if you did or tell me what didn't work for you. Always glad to hear from you!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 28 - Merging the timelines<strong>

**Tuesday (115 days after the crash)**

**Governor Jameson's office**

"Danny did she say what she wants? She doesn't want me to go on another press conference, does she," Steve looks in horror at his friend, who can hardly keep his laughter in.

"I have no idea, she only said to come see her right away," Danny is keeping his voice low. "Maybe you should have come in a suit, I mean she really seems to dig that James Bond look."

"Will you stop that," Steve gets rather irritated about the jabs he had to endure the whole last week from his friends about him suited up for the damn press conferences.

"Why are you so uncomfortable about dressing up, you wore uniforms your whole adult life, you should be used to it," Danny really can't understand why it is such a big deal for Steve to work in a suit.

"That's different."

"Sure it is. You're strange Steve, you know that?"

"Commander, Detective, Governor Jameson is ready to see you now," her assistant saves Steve from answering Danny. They are both shepherd into the office and take their seats in front of her desk.

"Gentlemen thank you for coming. I like to thank you all again for your great work on the Hilton murders. That was excellent work, please give my thanks to Chin and Kono as well."

"Thank you ma'am," Danny is looking over to his friend who is not saying anything.

Steve doesn't feel like he deserves the praise, so he is keeping quiet. He is very proud of his team, they did a great job and he told them so, but he was not that much involved, so he steps back and lets them get all the praise and thanks from various sources.

"Ma'am is that why you called us in," Steve has the feeling that she wants something different from them.

"No Steve. Last night HPD was on a chase after a suspect. The chase ended in a warehouse down at the harbor, two officers were seriously injured, one of them is still critical. They stumbled right into an ongoing weapons deal. When back-up arrived the 'dealers' were all but one gone but they left the merchandise. Dozens of high power weapons. The one left behind was dead, shot by one of the officers. The weapon he was carrying is a 'SIG P226 Navy' that was issued to Lt. Cmdr. Steve McGarrett in 2007 and reported lost in Afghanistan in 2008."

"What?"

"Steve he had your gun, how did he get his hands on the gun that was issued to you?"

"Steve you lost a gun?"

"What? NO Danny I didn't 'lose' a gun. It was taken after I got shot and. . .," Steve stops and looks at his friend, remembering what happened after he was shot and half beaten to death.

"Ma'am we will find out how that weapon got back to the States and who is behind that weapons ring. Come on Steve we need to speak to HPD, ma'am can we speak to the two officers, do you know their condition," Danny is glancing at his partner who got very quiet after he obviously remembered his time as a captive in the war.

"They are both at Hawaiian Medical Center, I'm sure their doctors can tell you more about their condition. Please keep me posted and get those responsible for it. Thank you Gentlemen."

They leave and Danny waits until they are out of the building, "Hey you okay?"

"Yeah I'm good. How the hell got that weapon back here? Danny I was shot in the middle of nowhere in some desert in Afghanistan. So how did that weapon end up here in a shooting with HPD? How is that possible?"

"I don't know Steven, but we will find out. You good now?"

"What?"

"You kind of zoned out there for a minute in the office, you good now?"

"I. . .I guess I remembered when I got shot and when they threw me in that room. . .for a second I felt the pain. But I'm okay, thanks for taking over," Steve looks at his friend and let him see his emotional turmoil. He knows that he can trust Danny to be there for him, no matter what. Even though that he is at the moment not certain about how he will work through all his 'issues' with Danny, but he knows without a doubt that if he needed his friend that he would be there for him.

They reach the car and to Danny's surprise Steve eases into the passenger seat.

"Okay, you want to go to the warehouse first or HPD?"

"HPD and then the warehouse? Let's call Chin and Kono they can go talk to the two officers."

"Yeah okay, I hope HPD is willing to cooperate, I mean two of their men were shot. They are likely to close up about it."

"Well let's hope not, we all want the same right? Let's just talk to them first," Steve never understood why different forces often have so much trouble working together. He has to laugh a little about that.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Just thinking that we're not big on sharing either. Sometimes we are our worst enemy."

The rest of the ride is in silence after Steve informed Chin about their new case. Steve is thinking about the upcoming conversation and Danny is worrying about his friend, who seems to be okay, but Danny knows that he will probably have nightmares tonight about the torture he had to endure.

A short while later they reach HPD and are told that the officer in charge of the investigation is Detective Hani. Which will make the cooperation not an easy one, he is not a big fan of Steve, who he thinks has no business heading Five-0 or doing any police business at all.

"Detective Hani can we have a word with you?"

"Detective Williams. McGarrett. I'm busy right now," he is turning and tries to let them stand in the middle of the bullpen.

"Detective we're here about your investigation into the shooting down at the harbor and we like to ask you some questions."

"Oh really McGarrett? Well I can understand that since it was 'your' gun that two of my men got shot with. Not a very good soldier who loses his gun!"

"He's a sailor not a soldier, and it's Commander McGarrett to you. . ."

"Danny! It's not worth it. Detective I'll expect all your reports on my desk at two p. m. at the latest. If you have a problem with that, talk to the Governor, I'm sure she can't wait to talk to you. Come on Danny we can't afford to waste more time with 'Detective' Hani," Steve does a perfect about-face and marches out of HPD.

"Steve! Steve wait for me," Danny grabs his arm when he finally reaches him, "He's an idiot you know! He has no idea what he's talking about, he is just some petty detective who thinks that he belongs at the top. Don't let him get to you."

"I'm not Danny. So you do know that I'm not a soldier after all," he is smiling his thanks to his friend who would always stand up for him, "Thanks man."

"Yeah well 'I' can call you a soldier but no one else has earned that right. So now what? Down to the harbor? Can we get something to eat first, I'm starving."

"Danny you can't be hungry again, man sometimes I think you have a worm or something."

"What? I didn't have breakfast. I didn't hear my alarm okay? And I have no one who is making me breakfast, probably even in bed. Don't tell me, please spare me the details."

"Cath left early, we didn't have breakfast together, she let me sleep in."

"What do you mean you slept in? Weren't you out for a swim in the middle of the night, like you usually do? What you sick or something," Danny is looking over at his friend who again is sitting in the passenger seat, which is by now worrying him to no end, "Steve are you feeling all right? Listen I know last week was no fun for you and you met JoJo yesterday. Don't look at me like that, I'm just worried."

"I'm fine Danny. I have some trouble with my stomach since we went to that sushi bar on Saturday; just thinking about the fish makes me sick."

"Hey we all ate there and we're fine, there was nothing wrong with the fish."

"I know. There are just some things I can't tolerate at the moment, I'm really sensitive to smell. Mark says it's still from the drug use, it will pass."

"You feel sick now?"

"No, just a little queasy. Maybe you're right we should eat something, how about some late breakfast, we could go see Kamekona, he makes some mean pancakes. They are really great, I'm sure he will whip some up for us. Besides we could ask him if he knows anything about our weapons dealers. You know business and pleasure. Trust me you will love his pancakes."

"All right, all right, pancakes at Kamekona's it is. When did you eat his pancakes?"

"I had breakfast with him when I had my 'alone-time'. He said he would make me pancakes any day I wanted," Steve is grinning at his friend.

"Why what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right, do I need to worry?"

"Nope. I might have helped him with some issues."

"What issues?"

"Danny it's nothing to worry about and nothing illegal."

"Now 'that' worries me."

They reach Kamekona's and are greeted with open arms.

"Hey big guy, how you're doing?"

"What can I do for my favorite cops?"

"We'd love some of your pancakes, if you have the time?"

"Sure Steve, for you anything. Come in my friends. Special with everything?"

"Yeah that would be great, thanks Kamekona."

"Anytime Steve."

Danny is looking after him and is just shaking his head, "I'm going to find out what you two are up to, so you better just tell me."

"Danny relax."

They get interrupted by Steve's phone, "Chin what'd you got?"

"One of the officers just died Steve. His head injury was too severe, he had a sudden massive bleeding, they tried to save him with emergency surgery, but he died on the table."

"Was he killed with my gun?"

"Yeah Kono just called, Charlie confirmed that it was your gun that the bullet came from. Steve it's not your fault."

"I know Chin but it doesn't make it any better. Thanks for the info, we're at Kamekona's right now going to ask him some questions and then we're heading to the crime scene. Meet us there?"

"Yeah okay I tell Kono."

"No, tell her to go to HPD and talk to some of the cops who were at the scene. Let her nose around a bit, I have the feeling that there will not be all the information in the files. Hani was not very forthcoming, he hates my guts, so that might be a problem."

"Okay brah, see you in a bit at the warehouse. CSU still has a few people there going through all the boxes, maybe they know what was going down there by now."

They are ending the call when Kamekona is back with their food.

"Wow, I'm surprised, I thought Steve was exaggerating, but this looks great."

"Dig in haole," another one of the 'terms of endearment' Danny is used to by now if used by his friends.

While eating their 'lunch' they tell Kamekona about the shooting and Steve can see that he knows something.

"Spill it big guy, what'd you know."

"You be careful, I heard rumors about some Russian who is acting in the background. Spending lots of money. No one knows anything or ever saw him, but he's dangerous. Big company. You watch your back."

"Thanks Kamekona we will. You hear anything you let us know."

"Sure Steve. Need to go back to my 'paying' customers. Come by again for pancakes whenever you like, I'll make Danny my special Spam-breakfast, he will love it."

"I'm sure he will," Steve has to laugh when he thinks about the breakfast he made him that one morning.

Shortly after they leave but before they reach the crime-scene they run into Akira and before they even know it are in hot pursuit of their first suspect.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thanks again for reading and as always a little sneak into the next one.<strong>_

**Chapter 29 - A promising lead**

**Present Day**

**Five-0 Headquarter**

Chin and Danny are looking over to Steve's office and watch him while he's on the phone, they can see that it's not a pleasant conversation. After he finishes he puts his head in his hands and just sits there.

"He alright Danny?"

"I'm sure he is still getting headaches every day. He's not saying anything, but I'm sure his head is hurting pretty bad at times. I'm gonna check on him, meet you downstairs in a couple minutes?"

"Sure I'll wait at the car."

Danny wanders over to their leader's office and slowly opens the door.

"Hey Steve you all right?"

"Huh?"

"What's the matter? Did something happen?"


	29. Chapter 29 A promising lead

**Chapter 29 - A promising lead**

**Present Day**

**Five-0 Headquarter, Steve McGarrett's Office**

"Lieutenant Stein."

"McGarrett here, Lieutenant you called earlier, what can I do for you?"

"Sir you were informed that you're to report to active duty for three weeks. You're supposed to meet your team this weekend for training and briefing about what you're going to do during the three weeks Sir."

"What?"

"Sir Captain Wells ordered the team to meet on Friday nineteen-hundred for some kind of training. Sir I'm not informed about the specifics but if you have any more questions I'm glad to answer those as far as I can Sir."

"No Lieutenant thank you for informing me."

"Yes Sir, I thought it would be important to inform you as soon as possible, that's why I called you instead of sending another courier. I hope it doesn't put you in an awkward position Sir."

"That's fine Lieutenant, thank you."

"Yes Sir, please report to the base on Friday at nineteen hundred to get your instructions."

Steve puts the phone down after they say good bye and looks at it for a moment. This is not what he expected, the active duty will take a lot of time. He needs to make sure that their planned trip is not affected, he would not know what to tell Grace if he had to cancel. He is absently rubbing at his temple where he can feel the headache is lurking, ready to come out and turn his head again into a pretty miserable place. He just wishes those headaches would finally stop, but he is getting one almost every day for thankfully just a short while. But it's still rather annoying.

H50 – H50 – H50

Chin and Danny are looking over to Steve's office and watch him while he's on the phone, they can see that it's not a pleasant conversation. After he finishes he puts his head in his hands and just sits there.

"He alright Danny?"

"I'm sure he is still getting headaches every day. He's not saying anything, but I'm sure his head is hurting pretty bad at times. I'm gonna check on him, meet you downstairs in a couple minutes?"

"Sure I'll wait at the car."

Danny wanders over to their leader's office and slowly opens the door.

"Hey Steve you all right?"

"Huh?"

"What's the matter? Did something happen?"

Steve is looking at his friend and contemplates if this is a good time to tell him about his call up, "Danny I should have told you earlier I'm sorry. Two weeks ago I was informed that I have to report to active duty."

"Two week ago? Why didn't you tell us? Wait a minute they can just call you up like that?"

"Yeah. I'm in the reserves remember?"

"I know about your training-weekends always wonder how you find the time and energy to do that. How long you're going to be gone? What do they want you for?"

"I don't know Danny. But even if I knew you know I can't tell you. I'm going to be gone for three weeks and I have to report for training this weekend."

"You can't go on any missions."

"Why?

"Busted eardrum. Remember?"

"Danny I forgot. You're right I can't swim or fly higher than 2000 feet at the moment. I need to talk to my doctor about for how long I won't be able to fly, but I'm pretty sure you're right."

"Does Cath know?"

"No I haven't told anyone. Well I told JoJo, but for different reasons. Let's not go there. Where's Chin?"

"Waiting at the car. You ready to go?"

"Yeah let's go talk to Alvarez," Steve is shoving the problems with his call up to duty into the back of his mind and concentrates on Danny who is by now out the door. "Hey wait up," for the first time Steve needs to jog to fall in step with his partner, he catches up to him on the stairs.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny is indeed driving his own car for the second time this day, while Steve sits in the back of the car, where he went on his own. Danny has the suspicion that his ankle is hurting him, which is pretty much proven when he puts his leg up on the seat and leans against the door.

"Hey you okay back there?"

"Watch the road Danny, I'm fine. Chin do we know if Alvarez lives alone?"

"No information on that, he might not even live there anymore."

"So let me get this straight, we're going after Alvarez because he might have information on Vitali? Because he got money from him two years ago? Who says that they are even still in contact?"

"Danny that is what we want to find out. I'm sure that Vitali is behind the weapons, it would be right up his alley. He dealt in weapons before, he has the contacts for it."

"Yeah but we don't even know that he is back in Hawaii."

"No we don't, but I assume that he is."

"Oh you assume, so case closed, McGarrett assumes so that must be it."

"Danny what's gotten into you? Ten minutes ago you were all for questioning Alvarez and now you think it's a dumb idea. Why?"

"No I still think we need to talk to him, I just think it shouldn't be our priority right now. He might lead us to Vitali, but I think we should talk to Akira's friends and colleagues first. To see if we can get more information on the men behind the deal that went down in that warehouse where an officer was killed. I think that should have priority over a man who might or might not be in Hawaii."

"Vitali is also responsible for the murder of an officer Danny. And I'm sure he is responsible for the deal in the warehouse and in talking to Alvarez we will get closer to him and can get the people responsible for the bust at the warehouse. We agreed on the fact that Vitali is behind all this, remember back in the hospital? But you're right, maybe we should divide our forces. You drop Chin and me off and then meet with Kono and go see Akira's wife and his friends. We will catch up later at HQ."

"I don't think that's a good idea Steve. I mean. . ."

"Danny just send a car that picks us up, hopefully with Alvarez and then go meet Kono," even though Steve never gives orders in his military voice, Danny is sure that he could pull out, but it's clear that there is no room for discussion anymore.

"Fine," Danny is not really angry, he knows that he maneuvered himself into the position and is not even really sure why. He thinks it's the right idea to go after Alvarez and he has no idea why he was suddenly questioning a decision they made together not even half an hour ago.

They reach their destination in a quiet neighborhood and Chin and Steve disembark the car, Steve with a little difficulty, since Danny is right his ankle acted up a few hours ago. He didn't take his pain meds this morning because the pain in his back was getting a lot better over the weekend, but it's clear now that the pain meds were obviously the reason for that. But no time to dwell on that at the moment; they grab their vests and send Danny on his way, looking after him.

"What's with him?"

"I don't know Chin, I'm not even sure he knows. Come on let's find Alvarez."

The Alvarez residence is a few houses down the road and they carefully make their way there. Surprised that he can afford to live in such a 'normal' neighborhood. They certainly expected something different. When they enter the small front yard they are even more surprised to see some toys lying around and a swing set sitting on the lawn.

It takes only a moment for the door to be opened by Peter Alvarez.

"Sir, Commander McGarrett," he almost stands at attention which irritates Chin and even McGarrett a little.

"Mister Alvarez can we have a word with you, it will only take a few minutes," Chin is still carefully looking around.

"Of course Sir, please come in."

They follow Peter Alvarez into the small but neat house, only things lying around are some toys, obviously just being played with.

"Sorry about the mess, my wife is just putting our son down for a nap, she will be down in a few minutes. Sir can I get you anything, soda or coffee?"

Steve and Chin are looking at each other, this is definitely not what they expected, "some water would be good, thank you."

"Of course Sir. I can see that this is not what you expected. I can understand that. Sir after you put me down and I was court martialed. . .that was quite a shock. . .it was suddenly clear to me, that I was a disgrace not just for the uniform I was wearing but also for myself. I got drunk and beat up some women," he is saying it with obvious disgust, "that was inexcusable and I don't expect them ever to forgive me. After I took the plea bargain I straightened my life out, married, had a son and after my probation was over we moved here, living close to my wife's parent's home."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an IT specialist, I mostly work free-lance, but twice a week at my father-in-law's firm."

"In October 2009 you received ten thousand dollars. What was that for?"

"That was my first job Sir. I worked for Sunrise Enterprises, but they didn't pay for it. The money came from a law firm. You have any idea how difficult it was to explain on my tax declaration that the money was not for a second job? I wrote an inventory program for them, it was open source, they wanted to be able to track 'merchandise' around the world with it. Was really difficult, because they didn't tell me about the merchandise, so I had to leave that open. But they were satisfied with it and paid good money. I'm not in trouble for that, am I? I mean that all went through a law firm and they are a big company."

"You're not in trouble for your job. The account the money came from came up in an investigation and when your name came up, well we had to follow up on that. We like to talk to your father-in-law, does he know about your past?"

"Yes Sir he does. Sir the fight in the bar was my very first offense, I was drunk before, but it was never that bad and I was never involved in any crime. Sir I'm very sorry I hurt your eye in the fight."

"That's okay, no lingering effect."

Alvarez chuckles a little, "Sir you had me down and out in I think a second flat."

"Well it was not that easy, you got a pretty good hit in."

"I'm really sorry about that. They didn't even charge me with punching an officer, Sir do I have to thank you for that?"

"I think you were too drunk to realize that you were hitting an officer and what they charged you with was enough as it was."

"Thank you Sir, I would not have gotten away with probation, if those charges were added to it."

"We might come by again, if we have any follow up questions. Can you give us the name of the law firm that handled the job for you? And please let us know if you leave the island."

"Yes Sir of course," Alvarez is leaving them for a minute to get a file out of his office with the information about his first job, for that he got probably paid by Vitali Dobendan. "Here you go Sir. Blitz and Black, BB was the firm. They hired me and paid for Sunrise. But I never set foot into their office, since I was not allowed to leave Maryland for twelve months. They have their main office here in Hawaii."

"Did they ever contact you again?"

"Yes Sir, last week. They offered me a job for another program, I have a meeting with them tomorrow."

"At their office?"

"No Sir at a private address."

"Who did you talk to?"

"Anton Waxol, he said he wanted to meet me outside the company. Since it was the same with them last time, I didn't think much of it."

"This Anton did he have an accent?"

"Yes Sir, Russian. He sounds just like Vitali, but he said his name is Anton."

"Who is that Vitali guy," Steve is looking at Chin and actually gets a little excited. Anton Waxol was one of Vitali's alias'.

"I met him a couple of times when I wrote the first program in 2009. He came by and wanted some changes to it, I had to change the program three times. He is not a very patient guy and he always had that bodyguard with him. He was definitely military. Jefferson something, I forgot his name."

"You're scheduled to meet him tomorrow?"

"Yes Sir at a house at Diamond Head."

"Peter please go get your wife and your son, we need to take you into protective custody. Don't worry, everything will be all right, but we can't leave you here. Chin call HPD off, we need to do this a little more subtle. I'll call Danny."

"Commander what's going on?"

"I'll explain it to you in a minute, please go get your wife."

"Yes Sir."

"Danny! Where are you?"

"Almost at HPD, why?"

"We need you to come back and bring Kono and the Van, we need to take Alvarez and his family to the safe house. I'll explain later. Hurry up."

"Okay we're on our way," Steve is ending the call and looks at Chin who just finished his call as well.

"Steve why don't you want HPD here?"

"I don't want Det. Hani involved, I don't trust him. I can't explain it, I just think it's better if we handle this with the US Marshals and not with HPD. I'm going to call them so that they will be waiting for us at the safe house.

"You think they are in danger?"

"No Chin not really, but Peter might be a witness and I don't want to take any chances. I don't think that they are under surveillance by Vitali."

"Commander?"

"Peter don't worry, you and your family will be fine. My team will take care of you and when we leave the US Marshals will watch you. Mrs. Alvarez I'm sorry that we need to take you out of your home, but it's for your own safety."

The Alvarez family is sitting on the couch while Chin and Steve are taking position at the windows. It takes about twenty minutes for Danny and Kono to arrive. The transfer from the house to the van is a smooth one and they are on their way to get them to safety before they are going to plan the raid of the house where they are hopefully going to find Vitali and his team.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>So now we might be getting somewhere. Will it really be that easy to get a hold on Vitali and his gang? Guess you have to stick around to find out.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30 - The takedown<strong>

**Present Time, Tuesday (122 days after the crash)**

They met with the US Marshals at the safe house and are now waiting for the search warrant for the location where they think Vitali is hiding.

"Steve what are we waiting for, why aren't we going in now? There is an arrest warrant for Vitali, we don't need to wait for a search warrant," Danny is looking at his partner and can't really understand what he is waiting for. Steve would normally be the first to run in guns blazing and taking down the bad guy.

Steve is looking up from his place at the table he is sitting at and Danny can see that he is rather pale and there is a sheen of sweat on his forehead, "Steve are you all right?"


	30. Chapter 30 The takedown

**Chapter 30 - The takedown**

**Present Time, Tuesday (122 days after the crash)**

They met with the US Marshals at the safe house and are now waiting for the search warrant for the location where they think Vitali is hiding.

"Steve what are we waiting for, why aren't we going in now? There is an arrest warrant for Vitali, we don't need to wait for a search warrant," Danny is looking at his partner and can't really understand what he is waiting for. Steve would normally be the first to run in guns blazing and taking down the bad guy.

Steve is looking up from his place at the table he is sitting at and Danny can see that he is rather pale and there is a sheen of sweat on his forehead, "Steve are you all right?"

"I'm good," but he is not looking at his friend, Steve knows that Danny can look right through his lie, "Danny we can't go in just like that, what if Vitali is not there and he is not the one behind it? We wait for the warrant and do this the right way, so that whoever is there will get arrested according to the law. I want the charges to stick."

"You have doubts that Vitali is behind that?"

"No Danny I don't, but you're always throwing the book at me, now I'm doing it like the book says and it's still not right?"

"What? No that's not what I mean," Danny is looking at the Marshal who is coming in with food he got for the Alvarez family. When he unpacks the pizza Steve bolts from the room and vanishes into the bathroom.

"Sorry about that," Danny is going after him after stealing a small slice of pepperoni and onion pizza. He finds Steve in the small bathroom over the sink splashing water in his face.

"Hey babe, what's going on," he is asking Steve softly while sitting down on the closed toilet and looks up at him.

"Did you eat pizza? You reek of melted cheese," Steve is closing his eyes and tries to keep his breakfast in.

"Steve are you okay? What's wrong, is it your head? You get headaches every day, don't you? Don't look so surprised, you think I don't know my partner?"

"I'll be fine, it's just the smell of the cheese. Told you last week I'm sensitive to certain smells. Cheese on pizza is the worst, sorry."

"The pizza made you sick," Danny is shaking his head, he thought that there was something seriously wrong with his friend, to learn that it's still the lingering effect from the drug is kind of reassuring, "Well let's hope then that Vitali isn't into pizza."

"Very funny Danny," Steve feels better and is about to leave the bathroom, when he is stopped by Danny.

"You sure you up to this?"

"Yeah I'm sure Danny," he shrugs his friend off and moves back into the kitchen. A little bout of nausea will not stop him from going after Vitali. A few minutes later Chin calls to tell them that he got the warrant and the information that SWAT is waiting for them near the house.

"Okay Chin we'll be there in twenty," Steve looks up at his friend who is already on the move to the car, where he again gets behind the wheel with no protest from Steve.

"You know I think I will mark this day, not once did you want to drive today. You have me worried Steve," Danny looks over to his friend but finds him grinning at him, "What's with the grin?"

"Nothing. Watch the road Danny, I don't want to end up around a tree."

"Hey my driving will not get us around some palm tree, yours on the other hand I'm not so sure about. But Steve seriously it's not like you to sit in the passenger seat, I need to know if you're not okay."

"Danny I'm fine. Really, I would tell you if I weren't."

"Yeah right."

"Danny I would. Maybe not if we were in the office, but certainly before a raid. You don't think I would endanger you or the team like that, do you? You're right I don't feel so great, BUT I'm absolutely able to handle this operation. Danny we both got hurt and I'm sure that you're not feeling so great either, I know that your head hurts like a bitch, don't try to lie to me. I had enough concussions to know, besides I know you too and that's why I know that you can do this, just like I can. So stop worrying, everything will be fine," Steve looks at his friend and holds his gaze for a moment before Danny looks back to the road, smiling this time.

"Okay fine. And just for the record, I know that you would never endanger us, at least not knowingly."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, I was not finished, may I remind you that you got me shot at more times than I like to count, because you think that I'm enough for backup most of the times."

"Well you are, because you're the best."

"Flattery won't get you far my friend," but Danny can't hide the smile behind his words.

Bantering back and forth helps them to lose the tension that they both can feel. Even though they are both professionals with vast of experience, both in their own way. Danny with dangerous arrests back in Jersey and Steve with so many op's around the world that they both know exactly what's to do, but that doesn't change the fact that they both know that there are a thousand things that can go wrong. Every arrest can easily be their last and both of them are well aware of that.

Steve's training officer always said 'being a little scared keeps you alert' and he is right, everyone is a little scared about a bust like they are facing. Everyone who isn't is just an idiot. Steve is just about to say something about that to Danny when his phone rings.

He starts to smile when he answers with "McGarrett" even though he knows who's on the other end.

"Hey sailor, do you and Danny have time for a late lunch? I have some information about Sunrise you might find interesting but I can't leave the base."

"Cath we're about to arrest Vitali. I call you back okay?"

"Steve wait! What? How did that happen, you're not going there alone, are you? Where are you?"

"Calm down. No I'm not going there alone, why do you all think I would do something that foolish is beyond me," Steve starts to get a little angry. It's almost like they think he is incompetent of making equitable decisions. In his opinion he never gave them reason to believe that he would do something foolish without thinking every option through, "SWAT is waiting for us, I gotta go, call you later."

After he hangs up on her before she even has the chance to say anything else Danny throws an irritated glance at him, "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"The phone call Steven."

"Don't start Danny. None of your business."

"None of my. . .are you serious? Call her back, right now!"

"What?"

"You don't hang up on your girlfriend like that. Not if you're about to enter into a deadly situation. You're an idiot sometimes Steven. Call her back, tell her you love her and that you will be fine," Danny is looking at his friend and can see that he really has no idea what he just did, "Steve don't make the same mistakes I did, tell Cath that you're sorry and that you will talk later and that there will be a lot of people with you to take down Vitali. Man you're really dense sometimes. We will wait for you," he is leaving the car to seek out Chin who is waiting with SWAT for them.

Danny is grinning when he can see that Steve is indeed on the phone again and it looks like as if Cath has to say a few things to him, Steve is only nodding, rolling his eyes once but in the end he does say something and Cath's reply makes Steve smile.

Takes only another minute before Steve joins them, "Everything okay in paradise?"

"Yes Danny everything is fine, thanks. Do we have any Intel on how many people are in the house?"

"Confirmed are Vitali, Jefferson and one unidentified man on the upper floor. Five people on the ground floor and two in the basement. No sign of Stephanie. Behind back is a helicopter, two cars and a van in the garage. Probably the van they used to kidnap you."

"So we have ten people on the premises? Do we know anything about how they're armed?"

"No, but we assume that they're heavily armed, I mean Vitali is an arms dealer. Guess getting his hands on weapons is not that difficult."

"Okay if we won't risk a shoot-out we need to take them by surprise, any guards in the garden?"

"No, which is rather odd, they don't have any guys outside."

"Steve you think they know we're coming?"

"Don't know, but if so it would mean there is a leak in the department. We have to address that later. Let's focus on getting in first. I think it would be best to get into the garden from the side. See that wall," he indicates the south wall on the satellite picture that surrounds the garden, "They won't expect an attack from there, we can go behind the back and enter through the back door. Some SWAT goes around front and cut their way out off. Any questions," Steve looks around the group but everyone shakes his head in the negative.

"No Commander, when we're in the house the last team can come through the gate and secure the grounds."

"Okay Lieutenant, your men ready?"

"Yes Sir."

"Chin, Kono I want you at the front, Danny and I are at the back. Guys keep your heads down, they have nothing to lose. They will not surrender, be careful."

"We will brah, I know most of the SWAT guys, they're good."

"Okay then let's go."

They check their equipment one last time and are on their way to arrest Vitali for the second time in just a little over four months.

H50 – H50 – H50

It takes them only minutes to get over the wall onto the ground on the side of the house. They have a bit of ground to cover but that is not a problem since it seems that there are no guards in the garden.

Five members of SWAT are moving right and left each group accompanied by two members of Five-0. Chin and Kono are behind the heavy armed SWAT members and are waiting for the signal to enter the house.

Danny and Steve are behind the SWAT team that is about to enter the house via the back door when all hell breaks loose. They literally get knocked off their feet when the door gets blasted their way. They can hear screaming and shots are fired while they get back onto their feet after a few second.

"Danny you all right," Steve can see his friend doubled over but seemingly okay.

"Fine," Danny is looking around and sees his friend who seems not seriously hurt, a bit shaken, dusty and holding the side of his injured ear but he doesn't seem worse to wear. That blast was probably not so much fun for his busted eardrum.

"Let's move in people, be careful, they mean business," Steve is now taking the lead since they don't need to ram the door open anymore. The blast did that for them, they were extremely lucky that Vitali's people obviously had pretty bad timing. None of them got seriously hurt, that explosion could have killed them, which was surely Vitali's plan.

They make their way into the first room, spreading out to secure the ground floor. They can hear in their earpieces that Chin and Kono are coming in from the front.

Danny is halfway up the stairs with Steve still at the button when he hears his friend swear and running to the window that is blasted out, "Danny it's Jefferson, go get Vitali."

Steve jumps out the window and is in hot pursuit of Jefferson who just vanished through the bushes that are in front of the wall they climbed not five minutes ago. They are going over the wall a little more south and are landing in the neighbor's garden. Jefferson is about twenty yards in front of him when he jumps the little fence that is at the front gate, he runs onto the street and is almost mowed over by a passing car.

Steve can't get any closer but he holds his ground. They are running down the street until Jefferson turns into a small alley on his right with Steve right behind him.

But they are not getting very far before Steve smacks into a brick wall, well at least it feels like it. Next thing he knows he crumbles to the floor unable to breathe or to move, his vision is kind of hazy. Steve knows that he just got shot pretty close range and that he needs to move if he doesn't want to get killed, he needs to take cover or at least get his weapon up and return fire. Knowing that and doing it are obviously two different things since his body doesn't obey his commands. He feels like a fish out of the water, desperately trying to suck in some air into his air deprived lungs, the black spots dancing in front of his eyes are not encouraging and he knows that he is only seconds from blacking out if he is not starting to breathe.

His first gulp of air really hurts and makes him cough but also enables him to take in another much needed breath which hurts not one bit less than the first. Out of the corner of his eyes he can see Jefferson, still running away from him, seems to be his lucky day that he didn't stop and finish him off. Jefferson seems more interested in getting away than in killing Steve.

He is by now on his hands and knees and almost crashes back to the asphalt when the black spots are replaced by stars and white light. He becomes aware that his head hurts even more than his chest and there is blood dripping down. Steve closes his eyes for a second to get his bearings and makes it back to his feet, swaying and a little doubled over, but on his feet even though his right ankle is not just mildly throbbing anymore. It didn't take kindly to his running but the brace prevented any further injury, the pain he can live with. His weapon still clutched in his hand he makes the first tentative step after Jefferson, while gingerly touching his temple. His fingers are coming back bloody from a graze that the second bullet left that hit him right after the one he took into the chest which was stopped by the vest.

Jefferson is not fifty yards in front of him, which tells him that he was down for just a few seconds even though it felt like minutes. He starts to run after him as fast as his wobbly legs and hurting ankle allow, no one would say that he runs in a straight line, but at least he is running after him. Every step lets a mini-explosion go off in his head and the black spots are back, or maybe they never left he's not sure. With every step it gets a little harder to breathe, he desperately wants to get rid of his vest and just sink down to the ground and take a deep breath. But of course he can't do that, it would mean that Jefferson would get away. Again. No way is he going to let that happen. He stops at the corner of the house he just reached, out of breath but his head seems a little clearer. It hurts still the same but his vision is not blurry anymore and he doesn't feel like he will drop any second now.

He carefully looks around the corner and can see Jefferson disappearing inside the building. Steve looks back the way he came but there is still no one coming after him, he dropped his phone a couple hundred yards back so there is no way to call anyone. Steve is not sure if his microphone still works, he can't hear anything in his ear-piece but he uses it anyway to give his location to his partner who might still hear him. He makes his way to the entry where Jefferson disappeared. It's the old gym that is closed for renovation at the moment. Steve wasn't aware that they entered the school grounds. He was too busy dodging bullets, _yeah not very successful with that, weren't you? Shut up! I really don't have time for you now._ Steve shakes his head when he becomes aware that he is still talking to himself.

He steps into the gym and comes face to face with Jefferson.

H50 – H50 – H50

Stephanie is watching the two man running down the alley and is following them in her car, when they enter the school grounds she is not sure if she should leave her car at the gate or not. But she decides to drive as far as possible, makes it easier to run if necessary. She really can't believe her luck that she was just coming back to the house when Jefferson and McGarrett came out of nowhere and she almost ran Jefferson over before he vanished into the alley with McGarrett hot on his heels.

She stopped her car when McGarrett went down but followed him when he went after Jefferson again. She thought for a second to run him over but that would be too simple for him. Stephanie is sure that he didn't see her yet, he seemed really busy staying alive while Jefferson was trying his best to shoot him.

She thinks about her father who is probably arrested by now, he would most likely kill her if he knew that she again was at the hospital and manipulated McGarrett's medication. But she needed to know if she remembered it right that he really was allergic to oxycodone, which he obviously is. She had it all planned out so nicely as soon as he would have been captured she could provoke an anaphylactic shock as often as she liked, at least as often as she administered the right medication to get him out of it again. At some point he would probably die for real, but until that happened he was at her mercy and she would enjoy him gasping for breath so very much.

A dose of the painkiller she used with Perez and his kidneys would shut down and he'd die a slow and very painful death. Everyone who would look at her now, would see how completely insane she became over the last months. Driven by her hunger for revenge.

She reached the door where McGarrett and Jefferson entered the gym and slowly opens it to slip in to finally get her hands on McGarrett.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve has barely time to react before the fist connects with the side of his head, the punch throws him back against the door. He has his arms up to block the next hit but Jefferson is not going for his head again but kicks against his right knee which gives out and he crashes down his gun slithering over the floor out of reach. He's not able to block the next kick to the chest but his vest takes a lot out of the blow, but still the wind gets knocked out of him when the boot connects with his already bruised chest.

Steve uses the wall as leverage and launches himself against Jefferson's legs, who goes down but is able to bring his fists down on the back of Steve's head. Makes him see stars again but he is now on Jefferson and fires two punches into his face, the crunching of the broken bone can be heard loudly in the otherwise silent gym. Jefferson is obviously not happy about getting his nose broken a second time in four month. He is wildly throwing punches against Steve, some of them are hitting him in the face but most of them he can block.

By now they are rolling around the floor and it looks like a cheap wrestling fight with bad choreography. Neither one of them gets the upper hand. Neither one of them is able to use any of their trained fighting techniques, both of them are too close to effectively get a knock out hit home.

Steve can feel that he won't be able to keep up with Jefferson for much longer, the bullet to the head is slowing him down and he can feel his energy draining. He needs to end this if he wants to get out of it alive. Time to play it dirty. He presses his thumbs into the eyeballs of Jefferson which lets him howl and stops his assault of hits to Steve's chest. Jefferson momentarily distracted by the pain in his eyes lets go of Steve and he is able to get up, one kick to the head of Jefferson later and he has the upper hand. He has Jefferson's hands behind his back and in cuffs in a few seconds and is just about to get up when he gets hit in the back with some kind of bat.

Steve crashes to the floor hard and feels the impact of another hit onto his vested back that is accompanied by a fierce scream. He rolls a few times and is on his feet to look at Stephanie who swings a baseball bat his way. Not caring that she is a woman, he just doesn't have the energy anymore, he knocks her simply on her ass with one hit. She lays sprawled on the floor, unconscious, bat lost and a few feet away.

Steve is looking down at Jefferson, who is a bloody mess and Stephanie, who looks like a sleeping angel but he knows that she is the devil incarnated. If you believe in such things.

He is dangerously swaying on his feet and thinks how to get help when the door swings forcefully open to reveal his back up. The best there is.

"Danno," is the last he whispers before he too falls to the floor to join the other two unconscious persons.

H50 - H50 - H50

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><p><em><strong>Well it seems that Danny came just in time. Thanks for reading! Here is a little peek into the next one.<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 31 - Aftermath<strong>

**Present Day (122 days after the crash)**

**Vitali Dobendan's House**

Danny Williams can still hear his partner's breathing in his ear, Steve's com-piece must have been damaged in the blast. He can hear him but he can't communicate with him. But at the moment he is busy communicating with SWAT and his team mates who are all pretty busy trying to get to the upper floor to take Vitali and his men down. The ground floor is already secured when Danny and Chin bust into the room where they hope to find Vitali.

"Put your hands where I can see them," Danny is yelling at Vitali who is kneeling behind a desk in what looks like a spacious office.

"The hell I will," Vitali's answer is accompanied by two shots at Danny who is still taking cover behind the door frame.


	31. Chapter 31 Aftermath

_**Thank you all so much for reading and a special thank you goes to all of you who are commenting on it. I really appreciate it. It's nice to know that people are enjoying the story. Thank you.**_

_**I'm a little nervous about this chapter because of the end of it. I hope it's not disappointing, it's the first time I went this far, so I hope it's not too bad. Please let me know if you don't like it or you feel like it went too far with the overall tone of the story. Ah what the heck just read it. :-)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 31 - Aftermath<strong>

**Present Day (122 days after the crash)**

**Vitali Dobendan's House**

Danny Williams can still hear his partner's breathing in his ear, Steve's com-piece must have been damaged in the blast. He can hear him but he can't communicate with him. But at the moment he is busy communicating with SWAT and his team mates who are all pretty busy trying to get to the upper floor to take Vitali and his men down. The ground floor is already secured when Danny and Chin bust into the room where they hope to find Vitali.

"Put your hands where I can see them," Danny is yelling at Vitali who is kneeling behind a desk in what looks like a spacious office.

"The hell I will," Vitali's answer is accompanied by two shots at Danny who is still taking cover behind the door frame.

"Give it up, there is no way out of here."

Suddenly the breathing in his ear-piece stops, instead he hears a noise that sounds like someone just hits the ground hard. Danny is looking in alarm at Chin when a few seconds later he can hear Steve again, obviously struggling to breathe.

"Danny go, I got this covered."

One last look at Chin and over to Vitali who has no way of escaping with SWAT all over the place, before he takes a run down the stairs after Steve who he can hear by now again. He sounds completely out of breath but still has the present of mind to tell him where he is, even though he has no idea if his com link is still open or not.

Danny jumps into the next car and is on his way after his wayward partner. When he reaches the school ground he can hear the telltale noises of an ugly fight going on. He is not so sure that his friend is on the winning end if his groaning is any indication. Until he hears Jefferson screaming and the clicking of handcuffs. That's the last he hears before the com link finally gives completely out.

But by now he has reached the gym and forcefully opens the door. A few steps into the gym brings him close enough to hear his partner's whispered 'Danno' before said partner crumbles to the floor to joins his two captives.

He gets his phone out and calls for back up and an ambulance, because not just his friend looks like a complete mess. Jefferson definitely needs a hospital and Stephanie who he handcuffed to Jefferson isn't looking good either.

Danny kneels next to Steve and gently turns him onto his back, Steve is weakly fighting against the hands that roll him over, but stops after Danny speaks up, "It's okay babe it's me, Danno. Stop fighting me."

"Danno?"

"Yeah I'm here, lie still, you're hurt," he is pushing Steve back down when he tries to get up.

"Vest off, can't breathe," Steve is still trying to sit up.

"Oh! Wait I'll help you," Danny can now see that a bullet is still lodged dead center of Steve's vest, _that hit must have hurt_. He unfastens the Velcro and buttons of the vest and hoist Steve up against his chest. "Don't throw up on me," the change in position also changes Steve's color to a deadly white and Danny is sure that he will puke any second. Danny gets from his kneeling position to sitting behind Steve and leans him back against his chest with Steve's head resting on his shoulder. Very much the same position they had in the water when Steve was passed out, only difference now is that they are sitting on the hard floor of the gym.

"Steve you with me? Come on answer me," there is no answer, but Steve seems to breathe a lot better now and Danny can feel a strong and regular pulse. "Okay fine just rest a little until back up is here. Do you always have to do that to me, can't you for once not get hurt? What do you want me to tell Cath, that you're again conked out on us?"

"No' conk' out. . .ju' resting m'eyes."

Danny has to smile a little at the gibberish Steve is talking, at least he is talking, he doesn't think he could take another unresponsive Steve, who he has to wait hours or even days on before he decides to join the land of the living again. "Welcome back partner, how'd you feel?"

"Urgh, head hurts. . .can breathe again. . .thanks. . .hurt my ankle I think. . .Danny you 'kay?"

"Me? Yeah Steve I'm fine, I didn't get shot, I ducked, something you need to practice my friend."

"Danny he shot me. . .argh," Steve is moving to get up.

"Where do you think you're going, Steve stay still. Come on Steve just lay back, that's it. I bet you'll get a spectacular bruise, that was pretty close range, wasn't it? Steve? Steven! Shit," Danny is checking his friend's pulse again and his breathing but both are fine, it seems that Steve finally gave in to the pain and exhaustion. At least that is what Danny hopes is what just happened, after Steve tried to move he went deadly still and passed out.

It takes another minute for Chin and Kono and the EMT's to arrive. Jefferson and Stephanie, who are still unconscious get transferred to an ambulance, guarded by two HPD Officers and still handcuffed.

The EMT's are prepping Steve for transport when he again comes to but is not really coherent, "Danny!"

"Hey, hey don't jump off the gurney, I'm here, relax. Look these nice people take you to the hospital."

"Don't need hospital, 'm good."

"Sure you are, just humor me okay. Get checked out for my sake, can you do that?"

"Yeah sure Danno. I'll do anything you say," Steve's speech is slightly slurred but they can understand him just fine.

"Brah you're really out of it," Chin is chuckling.

"Nah, he's my partner. He wants me to g' to the 'ospital, I go to the. . ." the rest of the sentence is lost when he gives in to the darkness again.

"Is he okay," Danny is looking at one of the paramedics.

"Don't worry detective he is fine, he is more asleep than unconscious. I doubt that he has a serious head injury, he will be fine. We're going to take him to Queens for an MRI but I'm sure they won't find anything. Of course we need to check his chest for internal injuries, that was quite a blow he took, but again I think he was lucky."

"I'm going with him. We should call Dr. Hope."

"Was he in his care previously?"

"You could say that," Danny informs him of the head trauma Steve received a few months back, while the paramedics load Steve into the back of the ambulance, "Chin I'm going with Steve, can you make sure that nothing goes wrong down at the station?"

"Yeah sure, Kono and I will come by the hospital later. Danny did you call Cath?"

"No not yet. I'll call her from the hospital."

"Okay see you later," Chin closes the door of the ambulance with his two friends in it and moves to get down to the station, to make sure that Vitali is not suddenly disappearing. He can't wait to see him behind bars again, hopefully this time for life.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is vaguely aware that he gets transferred from the gurney to the exam bed in the ER, before he is fully awake his t-shirt is already cut off of him and they are just about to get his boots off, but he won't have any of that, "my legs are perfectly fine, don't you dare cut my pants off." Steve is by now sitting up very much to the annoyance of the ER doctor who was just ready to put an IV in his arm when his patient practically sprung to live.

"Commander please lay back down, you got seriously hurt, you need to get checked out."

"Fine but my pants stay on. And I don't need an IV and I certainly DON'T need a Foley, don't you dare come near me with that thing," Steve is ready to run if he has to, but he will not be stuck with that thing again. He is by now standing next to the examination bed, swaying a little but determent not to get tortured with needles and catheters and other torture instruments.

"Commander McGarrett please if you don't calm down I need to call security and restrain you for your own good, please lay back down."

"Don't you try to come near me, get out all of you," he lays his hand on his holster, where his gun is nestled, put back there by Danny after he picked it up from the floor. For a second he asks himself why it was not taken off when he was in the ambulance, but thanks his lucky stars none the less. To lay a hand on an empty holster wouldn't have the same effect. The nurses are backing away from him, still clutching their equipment in their hands. Only the young doctor is not backing away yet.

"Commander you're not going to pull your gun on us, are you? Come on lay back down before you fall down."

"No. Where is Mark, where's Danny," Steve has a little trouble standing upright by now but he will not get back on the bed. He backs away so that he has the wall behind his back, he will not be restrained; if he has to pull his gun to make his point clear he will do that, but for now they seem at a standoff.

"Fine Commander. Just calm down. Who is Danny?"

"My partner, please get him, I'm sure he's out there," Steve can by now feel his legs are ready to give out, but he can't surrender, the thought to be restrained terrifies him and he will do anything in his power to prevent that. He isn't aware that the young doctor never meant to put restraints on him, it was something to say to calm a patient down. Normally a threat like that works, but in this case it caused the complete opposite. "You know what don't bother looking for him, I'm leaving."

"What? Commander McGarrett, please be reasonable I can't let you leave. You're hurt, you're confused, you're running a high fever and you hit your head, everything will be fine, just relax and let us help you."

"No don't touch me, I'm warning you don't come near me," Steve is looking at the young doctor and has to silently admire his courage to stand up to an obviously delusional patient. Steve has to laugh at himself. Standing in a corner, barely able to stand up, hand on his gun and ready for a fight if necessary.

"You just realized what a fucked up situation this is, that why you're laughing."

"You're not scared of me doctor. What's your name?"

"Michaels, Jonathan Michaels. And quite frankly I envisioned my first week here a little different."

Steve is just about to say something when the door busts open and two security guards are entering.

"Everything is fine in here, we don't need you, please leave," Doctor Michaels is addressing the two guys who look like they would love to get into a fight.

"One of the nurses called us and said he was combative and attacked you."

"No one attacked me, certainly not Commander McGarrett. Now leave us alone but send Detective Williams in, he should be in the waiting room. Go."

Steve and Dr. Michaels spend the next minute in silence, both taxing the other, trying to figure out how they came to this situation. They are still eying each other when Danny comes through the door.

"What the hell Steven, two security guards getting me? Hostage situation? Seriously?"

Danny is now taking a good look at his partner who looks like a hurt animal that is backed into a corner, scared and confused, "Hey partner what's going on?"

"Detective it's my fault. He got agitated and I threatened to restrain him, that's when he went a little nuts. I'm sorry. I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Please get him to lay back down, he needs to get checked out. You can stay if he wants you to," with that he is out of the room and leaves the two friends alone.

"Steve, you okay? Come here, sit down, man you're shaking, are you cold?"

"Danny I'm sorry."

"Shh, it's okay, come on lay back, I promise no one is going to restrain you. I'll stay here with you, but you have to calm down and let go of your gun for Christ sake. You wanna shoot me?"

"I'm out of ammo."

"Well that's a relieve. Gimme that thing. Yeez I can't leave you alone for five minutes. Hey don't fall asleep on me."

"Not sleeping."

"Good, now stay awake."

"Danno my head hurts, 'm so tired. Don't leave," Steve struggles to keep his eyes open but that is a task he won't be able to master for much longer.

"I'll stay with you, but promise me never to pull a stunt like this again."

"Can't do that Danny, they wanted to bind me down and put a Foley in. Don't let them please."

"I won't. So you bolted when that cute nurse wanted to get your pants off?"

"I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No Steve, you just scared the shit out of those nice nurses, you think JoJo would give them a discount?"

"You're hilarious Danny."

"Yeah that's me 'hilarious Danny', SEAL-whisperer par excellence."

H50 – H50 – H50

Two hours later they are all in the now very familiar room 625 and are waiting for their friend to come back from his various tests. Danny is with Steve so that any further 'incidents' can be avoided. Chin and Kono arrived half an hour ago and Cath just a few minutes.

"Any of you heard anything? What's taking them so long? Danny said Steve is relatively fine."

"Cath they only told us to wait up here, that Steve is getting an MRI for his head and X-Ray for his ankle and chest. That it might take another hour, that was thirty minutes ago."

Before they can discuss that matter some more they hear a commotion in front of the door, "I swear to God Steve if you say another word."

"What? I'm just saying."

The door opens and reveals three people, Danny who is pushing Steve in a wheelchair and Dr. Hope who is behind them shaking his head. Steve looks completely unhappy, clad in cargoes and some scrubs as a shirt, with his right boot on his knees.

"I don't need to stay here, I'm fine. Mark come on you said I don't have a concussion why do you want to keep me here?"

"Because you're still running a fever of 102, freaked out in the ER, got a badly bruised sternum with a small crack in it, got shot in the head, sprained your ankle again, bruised your knee, do I need to go on?"

"But I don't have a concussion," Steve very stubbornly replies.

"No you don't, which I find rather amazing. Steve just stay in that bed for the night let us figure out why you're still running a fever. Your temperature didn't go below 100 in the last five days, I'm a little concerned about that. I just want to make sure that there is no problem with your ear."

"Just for the record I didn't freak out in the ER, I took necessary measures to assure my safety. To be honest I don't remember much about it. Only that I was in the corner and Danny came in."

"That's okay Steve don't worry about it, when you were admitted your fever was over 103. Now will you please stay?"

Steve is looking at his friends who he didn't acknowledge until now, he sheepishly grins at them, "Hi."

"Hi yourself," Cath is leaning down and gives him a welcome kiss. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Still you should do what Mark says. I'm going to organize something for you to wear for the night, be right back," she doesn't even give him the time to oppose that idea.

"So now that is settled my work here is done. I'm going to check on you first thing in the morning and I'm sure you can leave then. We're going to take some blood from you, to see if we can figure out why you're running that fever. Steve please stay in bed, I know you feel fine, but give your body the chance to power down, okay?"

"Fine, I'll stay until tomorrow. But not a day longer."

"Good. Oh and congratulations on arresting the whole gang. I'm glad that it's over now." Mark leaves them alone to contemplate his words, they didn't have time yet to think about the arrests.

Steve gets out of the wheelchair and carefully walks over to the bed, he can walk almost without a limp but it hurts to put his full weight on his ankle but not so much to indicate a serious injury. To run after Jefferson took its toll on the hurt ankle. His chest hurts way more than his ankle or his head for that matter. To take a bullet from less than ten yards, even though it was stopped by his vest, really hurts. There is a very fine small crack in his sternum and the area around the impact is deeply bruised. Every movement, even every breath hurts and he knows that it's just the beginning. Tomorrow it will really hurt, when the bruises had time to settle in.

He lays back on the elevated bed and closes his eyes, maybe it was not such a bad idea to stay the night after all. He does feel like crap. Did the last couple days. He opens his eyes with a start again and looks around the room, the empty room. A second ago his friends where just next to him and now he is alone and it's dark outside. When he sat down on the bed it was not even four pm. He is still on the covers of the bed in his cargoes and hospital shirt. He hears the flush of the toilet in the bathroom and the water running, he looks expectedly to the door from which Cath emerges a moment later, a smile on her face when she sees that he's awake.

"Hey there. That was pretty rude to fall asleep on us like that," she smiles at him when she smooth his hair back, careful of the bandage on his right temple. "You weren't even really in the bed when you were out like a light. How do you feel?"

"I feel good. Did they go home?"

"Yeah a few hours ago. You slept for over six hours, it's past ten."

"Oh. Guess I was a little tired."

"Yeah guess so. Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it really over, are they going to stay behind bars? They are not coming after us again?"

"Yes it's over. They won't ever come out again. It's a little anticlimactic, isn't it? But it's most of the times the little things that brings them down. I'm glad that it went so smooth, no one got killed, not even one of the bad guys. Danny said that one of the SWAT guys got seriously hurt by the blast, did you hear anything about him?"

"Yeah he is in the ICU but is stable, they hope to transfer him into a private room tomorrow. I think he broke both his legs and pelvis."

"Hope he's going to be okay. Is Danny home at his place, he was not doing so good. When you go home can you please check on him."

"Don't worry about him, we made him go home with Chin. Took a little time for him to surrender but he did in the end. We told him that you would worry about him all night if he'd stay by himself, that did the trick. Besides I'm not going home."

"Oh? You're not?"

"No. I'm exactly where I want to be," and to underline that statement she engages into a kiss that would lead to way more if they were not in a hospital where they could get interrupted any second. "Oh you like that, seems that everything is in working order, glad to know that," she is now openly grinning at him.

"You know I could use a shower and the bathroom-door has a lock. Besides you promised me some more practice in the shower after last time was such a disaster. Now is your chance to make good on that promise."

"You think you up for that?"

Instead of an answer he is swinging his feet out of bed, gets up and unceremoniously grabs her and just carries her into the bathroom, which elicit a little shriek out of her. A very un-Cath-like shriek. He puts her down, locks the door and presses her against the now locked door. Their bodies melt perfectly into each other and create just the right friction to get them both going.

Steve moans into the kiss when he needs to lift his arms to get rid of his shirt, Cath is not sure if it's from pain or pleasure but as long as he's not stopping what he's doing right now she won't ask. He is trailing sweet kisses along her neckline, little bites make her moan and grind against him feeling his reaction to her ministration. She sheds her shirt and bra and the naked contact makes her moan into the kiss, Steve has just found his way back to her mouth and she is more than willing to grand him access. Cath is fumbling with his belt and buttons of his pants to get all restrictions out of the way. Steve moans when her hand finds her target, she thinks that he is still overdressed even though he is down to his briefs, they have to go. After a second she finally has free access and uses that to her full advantage. The hitch in his breath shows her that she is obviously doing something right. Somehow her shorts have joined his clothes on the floor and the complete body contact lets her skin tingle from head to toe.

He is back to kissing her neck on the side under her jawline, just where she loves it. She uses her free hand to guide his head where she wants him to kiss her, his groaning lets her stop for a second and look up. He has his eyes closed, leans heavily onto her and stills her hand that accidentally touched his right temple where he got shot.

"Sorry, you okay?"

"Yeah, little dizzy," but he is already back to kissing, so she isn't stopping either. They never get around to actually taking the shower, but the time in the bathroom is enjoyable none the less.

Dorothy checked into the room three times unsuccessfully, when she checks again at midnight Steve and Cath were both deeply asleep in bed, both with a smile on their face. None of them stirs when she takes Steve's temperature, she smiles when she sees that it is still 101, _well this time there is at least a reason for the heat._ She makes some notes in the chart and when she leaves she thinks what a cute couple they make.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Well it seems that Steve got lucky in more ways than one. Let's hope we can keep it that way for a while. <strong>_

_**And as always a little peek into the next one. After that one the trial starts, hope everyone is ready for it. **_

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><p><strong>Chapter 32 - Debriefing<strong>

**Present Day, Wednesday (123 days after the crash)**

Twenty minutes later he enters their offices, freshly showered and even shaved. He only needs a new bandage on his head wound, which didn't need any stitches but the water let it start to bleed a little again, he should have kept it dry, but he was too busy to prevent getting any water in his ear to also pay attention to the graze on his temple. So now he is walking into the office with some bloody gauze held to the side of his head.

"What the hell happened to you," Danny is saying byway a greeting.

"Good morning to you too Danny. Nothing happened, I took a shower, just need a new band-aid. I'm fine."

"The hell you are, you're bleeding all over the place."


	32. Chapter 32 Debriefing

**Chapter 32 - Debriefing**

**Present Day, Wednesday (123 days after the crash)**

Steve is awake and up since the crack of dawn, more than eager to leave the hospital. Cath slept a couple hours longer but is by now also sitting down by the couch table, they are both waiting for Mark and to get Steve's discharge papers.

"When do you need to be at the base?"

"Eleven hundred."

"Did McAllister talk to you yet?"

"No. But I'm not scheduled to testify until the third day or something like that. You're up on Friday, did she talk to you about it?"

"Yeah, but I still hope that I won't have to testify. JoJo petitioned three times by now."

"Steve you will be fine, don't worry about it. You can't tell them much anyway, I'm sure she will keep it real short and to the basics."

He is looking at the woman in his life and can see that she really believes what she is saying, but he knows that he won't be able to go up in the stand and tell his story. Just thinking about the time in the hospital lets his pulse quicken. He hasn't talked to JoJo about his panic and he has no idea why he is so affected by all this. Mentally he is able to think about it, but his body is betraying him every time. Every time he tries to think about the memory the restrains triggered he slips into panic mode, his thoughts are cool and collected but his body's reaction is more than disturbing. More even so that he is not able to control it, no matter what technique he tries, nothing is working, thinking about the memory lets his body shut down.

"Steve are you all right?"

"What?"

"Your hands are trembling and you're breathing really fast. You feel all right?"

"Yeah I feel fine, I was just thinking, sorry."

"What are you thinking about," Cath feels his forehead which is finally not so hot anymore, seems that the new antibiotics are working. Took them long enough to figure out what was wrong. She is looking at him and can see that he is struggling with an answer, "You don't have to tell me now. When you're ready, I'll be here."

"Thanks," he hasn't told anyone but JoJo about the memory that surfaced while he was restrained. He was looking into his personal files and into all the files of the OP's he was involved in during his time on active duty, but so far nothing came up that would give him a hint about the surgery he had. He still has doubts that the memories are real, but JoJo is convinced that they are not a figment of his imagination and he trusts her completely, so he will continue to dig into his military past to find out the truth. He knows that before he learns everything about that mission his nightmares won't stop.

It takes another few minutes before Mark Hope makes an appearance with the news that Steve indeed can leave the hospital.

"Steve I'm truly sorry that we didn't catch your infection sooner. The antibiotics kept it at bay somewhat, but that was not enough. It seems that the new ones are working their magic now. You should feel better real soon, your fever is already down."

"I do feel better."

"Good how is your chest?"

"Hurts," that is the understatement of the year. Every breath and every little movement sends daggers of pain from his breastbone all the way across his chest and down to his still tender abdomen where the bruises on his torso seem to meet. Yesterday he was still able to move with ease which was proven in the bathroom, but today's a completely new ballgame. Even moving his arms hurts; his muscles completely seized up on him and getting up from the couch is a challenge.

"I've written a prescription for some painkillers, Steve take them. I promise they won't make you feel doped up but they will do wonders for the pain. Keep taking your antibiotics, if you start to get a fever again, call me."

Steve takes the prescriptions and has every intention to actually fill them. He is not an idiot after all and why suffer if there is something to help with the pain? If he can tolerate how they make him feel, he at least is willing to try them out. He talked to the doctor who took another look at the tear in his eardrum this morning and learned that he might not be able to fly in three weeks, when he would need to report to active duty. But his doctor couldn't say for sure, he wanted to wait another week to see how the healing is progressing. But he at least allowed him to go swimming if he would wear the special earplug that is molded for a perfect fit; no diving though for at least another four weeks.

"Steve you ready to go," Cath is holding out her hand to help him up from the couch, she knows him too well to not know how much he is hurting. He takes her hand smiling and hoists himself up with the help of his girlfriend. That term goes over way more easy by now.

"Thanks, can you drop me off at the office? We need to tie up all the loose ends, lots of paperwork," he says it with distaste, but if they want to keep Vitali's gang behind bars it's a necessary thing to do.

"Maybe you should go home and change first, did you take a look at what you're wearing?"

Steve knows that he is still wearing his clothes from yesterday, well without the shirt that they cut off of him. His pants have blood splatters on them and the scrubs he is wearing as a shirt are really not his style, "I can change at the office."

"Okay, I'll be home no later than twenty one hundred."

They have reached by now the nurse's station where Steve sits down in the obligatory wheelchair, he learned years ago that any arguing that ridiculous rule is a waste of time. Besides this time he is almost glad to sit down, even the short walk down the hallway hurt his chest and his back started to chime in into the pain festival as well. He really needs to fill that prescription if he wants to last any length of time in the office, "Can we stop by the hospital pharmacy, I need to fill some prescriptions."

"Sure Commander no problem," the nurse is pushing the button for the first floor where their pharmacy is located.

After a brief stop there and after Steve took his first dose of pain meds they are finally on their way to leave the hospital, hopefully for good this time.

H50 – H50 – H50

Cath dropped Steve off at HQ and he is now making his way into the building, the pain in his chest and back subsided to a manageable level by now. To turn sideways still reminds him that there is a cracked bone in the middle of his chest, he is lucky that it's not broken through, but it hurts almost the same. Not that he has experience with that, he never managed to break his sternum before, but he cannot imagine that the pain of a 'real' break would be worse.

Mark Hope's promise that the pain killers won't make him drowsy still holds, so far he feels fine. To keep it that way he actually takes the elevator again. He never rode in elevators as much as in the last months, he's not going up to their floor but down to the locker rooms to change into some more decent clothing. That develops into somewhat of a challenge. This morning Cath helped him getting his boots and shirt on, he couldn't bend down without doubling over in pain. But now there is no Cath to get his shoes or shirt off. He puts his right foot onto the bench and carefully loosens the laces, pleasantly surprised that it doesn't hurt as much as he feared. Encouraged by that he gets the second one off and the pants, shirt and underwear are to follow, he grabs a large towel wraps it around his waist and goes to take a shower, he was in too much pain this morning to shower at the hospital. Besides the warm water may even loosen up his sore muscles some more.

Twenty minutes later he enters their offices, freshly showered and even shaved. He only needs a new bandage on his head wound, which didn't need any stitches but the water let it start to bleed a little again, he should have kept it dry, but he was too busy to prevent getting any water in his ear to also pay attention to the graze on his temple. So now he is walking into the office with some bloody gauze held to the side of his head.

"What the hell happened to you," Danny is saying byway a greeting.

"Good morning to you too Danny. Nothing happened, I took a shower, just need a new band-aid. I'm fine."

"The hell you are, you're bleeding all over the place."

"Danny, it's not bleeding at all anymore, see," he is taking the gauze off to show his wound that stopped bleeding a minute ago.

"That looks nasty Steve, does it hurt," Danny is directing his friend to his office and his look says clearly that resistance is futile.

"Not much, I'm actually on the good stuff right now."

That shuts Danny up, if Steve is taking pain meds and admits to it that means that he is really hurting and Danny would bet a month salary that his chest is the cause for most of his pain. "Stay put I'll be right back."

"Yes mom," Steve wouldn't dare getting off the couch before Danny okay's that, he knows when to give in and when not. If this will ease Danny's mind than so be it. Takes not even a minute for Danny to be back with their huge first aid kit that Steve organized. Danny doesn't even know half the stuff that's in it, but he must admit it came handy more times than he likes to admit.

"You want me to put some antibiotic on it?"

"Guess can't hurt, ouch, hey be gentle, will ya?"

"Don't be such a baby, I barely touched you, now hold still, Steve hold still. . ."

"What are you putting on it man. . .it burns."

"If you would hold still it wouldn't burn."

"What kind of logic is that? You learned your bedside manners in Jersey? Put a band-aid on and leave it alone."

"You need a little more than a band-aid babe, sorry but a patch is the least that will go there. Maybe we should shave a little hair off to get better access, hey where you're going?"

"Getting a band-aid. . .Kono!"

"Yes Boss," she and Chin are standing in the door frame and can't keep the grin off their faces, "need anything?"

"Yeah saving from nurse Danny."

Five minutes later Steve does have a nice patch on the side of his head, perfectly placed there by Danny. They are both at the smart table and waiting for Chin to get the files ready to review.

"Hey Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"How you're doing, did you sleep okay?"

"Why wouldn't I sleep well," Danny is a little miffed that his friend can see right through him.

"Because _your_ friend freaked out in the ER and had to stay in the hospital again after he got shot in the head; that might be a reason why you couldn't sleep. Or maybe just because _my_ friend has a concussion and I'm worried about him."

"Oh. Yeah well I'm pretty sure your night was better than mine, but I'm okay."

"Good."

"That's it? Good?"

"What?"

"Ladies is this going to take much longer? Table's ready, so if you might want to come to an end, we could go through the files so that we can inform Jameson," Chin is looking at his two colleagues who are looking like they were just admonished by their teacher.

"Fine."

"Sure Chin, please proceed."

"Really Steve, please proceed?"

"Danno shut up."

H50 – H50 – H50

"Yes Governor thank you we will give your thanks to Chin and Kono," Steve is looking at his boss who he and Danny came to see a few minutes ago and something doesn't seem right with her. "Ma'am is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine Steve. I had an unpleasant phone call but nothing to worry about, thank you for your concern."

It is obvious to Steve that she doesn't want to talk about it. "Ma'am the ATF and DEA are already informed about Vitali's connections to Sunrise Enterprises. It seems that the company was just a big money laundering machine for the drug and weapons money they made by their illegal activity. We also uncovered the involvement of B & B, the law firm that is heavily funded by Vitali's organization. We still need to figure out how much they knew about the illegal activity. I talked to Naval Intelligence and they are trying to get the loose ends on the Japanese side. But I wouldn't hold my breath, I'm pretty sure that everyone involved on that end is long gone."

"The people arrested in the house are they also responsible for the shooting in the warehouse?"

"We can't say that for sure yet, we're still gathering evidence. But everything points into that direction," Danny is now chiming in into the conversation. "HPD is arresting their contacts as we speak ma'am. They will be pretty busy down at the harbor. We have search warrants for, Steve what was the number?"

"Three."

"Right three companies and their warehouses down at the harbor. HPD is assisting ATF with men-power while ATF is leading the investigation."

"Ma'am we need to talk to you about Captain Hani of HPD, he is making the investigation very difficult."

"How so Steve?"

"Well he doesn't like to take orders and I'm concerned that he might endanger the investigation, he is not accepting the authority of ATF and DEA about this case. I can understand his anger, one of his men got killed and he is not allowed to investigate the case. But he is making everyone's life harder than it needs to be ma'am."

"I'll talk to his superior about it, anything else gentlemen?"

"No ma'am, we will keep you informed about the proceedings."

"Good. Steve, Detective Williams how are you doing, you both got hurt. Are you okay?"

"Yes ma'am thank you, we're fine."

"Very well then. Keep me posted," it is clear to both Danny and Steve that their time with the Governor is up.

"Yes ma'am," Steve has some trouble to get up from his chair, but manages to stand up with just some wincing. He is overdue for his next dose of pain meds, which he left in his office.

Danny and Steve leave the Governor's office together, "Danny slow down." Steve is trying to catch up with his friend who seems to be in a hurry but slows down when he sees his partner falling behind.

When Steve reaches his second in command he grabs him by the shoulder to make him stop and presses his other hand carefully on his arching breastbone, "Will you please stop?"

"Hey you okay?"

"Yeah Danny I'm good, just can't walk that fast. Listen, don't you think Jameson was kind of strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it felt like she was waiting for something. Something to come up in our investigation. I can't really explain it."

"I think she was preoccupied, but I don't know Steven. Man you're wheezing, everything okay?"

"Yeah fine, hurts to breathe. I'll be okay. We need to swing by the DA's office to make sure that they will not make another deal."

"They won't Steve, the charges are going to stick. He will not get away this time."

"I hope not."

"I know he won't. Steve I had a call this morning from a Lieutenant Commander McAllister, she wanted to talk to you but you were still at the hospital. Is she the one prosecuting Neill? Sorry I forgot to tell you."

"Yeah she is, what did she want?"

"She wanted to inform you that Captain Jordan's petition fell through and that you need to testify on Friday. She said something that you'd be the first witness?"

"I know, JoJo texted me already. Danny I can't do that, I can't testify," they have by now reached the car and Steve lowers himself into the passenger seat his right hand still firmly pressed against his chest.

"Steve where are your pain meds," Danny looks with worry at his friend who is obviously hurting and looks like the pain level is still rising.

"At the office."

"Well that's very clever. Hold on we'll be there in a few minutes. Why didn't you take some before we went to see Jameson?"

"I was fine Danny. I am fine, it just hurts, don't be such a worry. I had worse."

"Yeah I know but there is no reason for you to be in pain, you should have said something."

"Danny you do know that this is not your fault? It's not your fault I got hurt," Danny always becomes a mother-hen when he thinks that he is the reason that someone got hurt. It's always a dead giveaway for him feeling guilty.

"Yeah well I was not following you. I let you run after Jefferson without backup."

"I told you to get Vitali Danny. It's not your fault, don't blame yourself, besides you did come after me."

"Yeah after you took them both out, great partner I am."

"Danny stop, stop the car."

"What you gonna be sick," Danny stops the car and turns to his friend.

"You are the best partner I could ever have. Don't ever doubt that. You're a great partner, you're always there when I need you, you always have my back. Don't ever tell me again that you're not a good partner. I never want to hear that again. And again for the record it was not your fault. Now move on so that I can get some magic pills."

Danny is staring at Steve open mouthed and is actually speechless, "Okay", well that sounded rather meekly but it's all he's able to say.

"If I'd known that's all it took to shut you up I would have done that sooner," Steve very smugly grins at him.

"Bite me."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading. Please tell me what you think about the story so far. We have eight more chapters to go. Next the trial for 'Captain Dr. Neill' starts. You didn't forget about him, did you?<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 33 – First Day of Trial<strong>

**Present Day, Friday (125 days after the crash)**

"Your Honor, before I start to question the witness I like to read the list of injuries Lieutenant Commander McGarrett had when he was transferred into the care of Captain Neill."

"Objection Your Honor. The injuries Lieutenant Commander McGarrett sustained are irrelevant to the charges against my client."

"On the contrary Your Honor, Lieutenant Commander McGarrett's injuries play an important role to this case."

"Overruled, please proceed."

"Thank you Your Honor."

Lieutenant Commander Alice McAllister, smiles at Steve before she starts to read from the medical report that lists all the injuries he sustained while captured by Vitali Dobendan.


	33. Chapter 33 First Day of Trial

**Chapter 33 – First Day of Trial**

**Present Day, Friday (125 days after the crash)**

"Your Honor, before I start to question the witness I like to read the list of injuries Lieutenant Commander McGarrett had when he was transferred into the care of Captain Neill."

"Objection Your Honor. The injuries Lieutenant Commander McGarrett sustained are irrelevant to the charges against my client."

"On the contrary Your Honor, Lieutenant Commander McGarrett's injuries play an important role to this case."

"Overruled, please proceed."

"Thank you Your Honor."

Lieutenant Commander Alice McAllister, smiles at Steve before she starts to read from the medical report that lists all the injuries he sustained while captured by Vitali Dobendan.

"Commander McGarrett suffered severe head trauma that put him on medical leave for two months and additional light duty for another two; he needed to take medication by injection every five hours for three months. He also suffered a fractured ankle and tibia of his right leg; severe bruising of his right hip and lower abdomen with complications that required surgery during his recovery; he sustained severely bruised kidneys; he had two broken ribs one of which pierced the lower right lope of his lung. He had emergency surgery for that. His left radius and ulna were fractured right below the elbow. When Commander McGarrett arrived at Tripler, he was sporting a cast on his leg and left arm and was in an artificially induced coma. He needed full life-support for five days until the sedation was gradually lowered. He woke up seven days after he was brought to Tripler."

His friends who are sitting in the court room behind McAllister are listening to the listing of injuries their friend sustained. Of course they were all there when it happened, but to hear it again like that is still a shock. And Chin and Kono didn't know about any needed surgery. They are looking a bit confused at Danny, but he is only shaking his head 'later'. It is not his place to tell them.

The Judge Navy Captain John Elder is now speaking up, "Commander McGarrett are you cleared for full duty?"

"Yes Sir I am, but at the moment I'm on medical leave until next Wednesday due to injuries I sustained last week."

Captain Elder is now looking at Steve and studies him for a moment, Steve seems to be calm and collected to everyone except his friends. They can see that he is anything but calm, he looks very anxious and if anyone would be close enough they would see that he is slightly trembling and that he has balled his left hand into a tight fist. Finally Captain Elder is leaning over to Steve and asks him something that no one can hear, Steve takes a few moments before he answers. Elder is nodding and seems to think a moment before he makes his announcement, "This court martial is adjourned for three days, we will convene again at a later date." He swings his gavel and everyone looks more or less confused, about what just happened.

"McAllister, McGarrett, my chambers now." With that he is gone and Steve and McAllister are even more confused now but of course following him to his chamber.

"Commanders please take a seat. Command McAllister I know exactly what your plan is, but I will not allow such things in my court room. You will not put a highly decorated Officer on the stand in the hope that he will have a breakdown, so you can get the sympathy of the jurors. I will not allow you to do that to Commander McGarrett who is obviously in no shape to participate in this trial. Captain Jordan has petitioned three times by now to spare him the witness stand altogether. Commander McGarrett has served his country with honor and I will not allow that you put a damper to his career or his reputation by putting him out there. You will have to win your trial without him. Commander McGarrett I'm going to grant Captain Jordan's petition to expel you from the witness list for medical reasons."

For the first time in weeks ever since he was notified that he will be called to the stand, Steve relaxes. He knows that he would not have been able to keep it together for the trial and just sitting there today without even the need to say anything put him on edge. He is grateful to Captain Elder who obviously saw right away that he is not fit for this trial yet, and of course to JoJo who was relentless in her efforts to get him off the list.

"Thank you Captain," Steve is looking at Captain Elder and hopes to convey his gratitude.

"Commander McAllister you should have read Dr. Jordan's notes and spare us all of this. May I remind you that your job is not just to get a conviction of Captain Neill, but to get justice for what happened to Commander McGarrett. He is also your client, not just your witness and his well being must be your first priority at all times. Think about that before you call your first witness on Monday. Dismissed."

They leave the judge's chamber and go their separate ways, Steve to his friends with a spring in his step, which is noted immediately by his friends. He looks like the weight of the world was just lifted off his shoulders. They would swear that he is even a little taller all of the sudden. McAllister goes to her office, now with the job to completely rethink her trial, since her so well thought out plan was just busted by the judge.

"Steve what the hell just happened," Danny is the first to ask.

"He took me off the witness list, I won't need to testify," Steve is smiling at his friends.

"He can do that?"

"Yeah he had three petitions to get me off the list and when he asked me if I'm able to participate I said no. And I guess one look at me was enough for him to see that I'm really not able to do that, so I'm off the hook for now."

"For now?"

"Yeah well I'm off the hook for medical reasons, but I passed my psych eval, so the defense could argue that point and demand to put me up there. They probably won't do that since my testimony would harm them, McAllister could do the same of course, but Elder had pretty clear words for her so I doubt she will try that."

"But Steve don't you want to tell them what he did to you," Kono is asking.

Steve is looking at his friends for a long moment and is not sure how to answer that, "No I don't. I don't need to tell them, because everything they need to know is in my medical file. Neill disobeyed a standing written order, he put restraints on a broken arm and leg, caused bodily harm to the restrained person." Steve is not even aware that he is distancing himself from the person that got hurt in the hospital. "Those are the only relevant facts. They don't need me for that. I never understood what McAllister wanted me for in the first place. She wanted to have a big show up there, but now she won't get that."

"What big show," Danny is looking at his friend he is not quite getting it.

"Danny do you really think I would be able to get into the witness stand and calmly tell my story? Today I only had to state my name and rank, nothing else, and still I was trembling and broke out in a cold sweat. The judge saw that, he knows that I'm a far way from being able to be a witness in this trial. McAllister wanted me to break down in front of the jury, so everyone could see what Neill caused. I don't want that, I don't want everyone to know what he did to me. I don't care if he gets punished or not, I'm sure he learned his lesson already. He got transferred to a field hospital, he lost his status as a promising neurosurgeon, that is more punishment than the court could ever give him."

His friends are speechless, they didn't realize how much Steve was still suffering from the episode in the hospital. How could they know? He is not talking about it, he barely talks with his therapist about it. It was over four month ago, but they can finally see how very much affected their friend is by all this, for the first time they can see that the psychological scars are far deeper and serious than the physical injuries he sustained.

Steve's taking a look at his watch and knows that he needs to hurry if he wants to go home, change out of his dress blues and be on time on the base at nineteen hundred, "I'm sorry to run on you like this, but I really need to go."

"Steve we wanted to go have dinner after the first day of trial, remember?"

"Yes Danny I know, but I have to report to my CO in less than ninety minutes. I'll call you later, but we'll see each other on Sunday, we're still on for the game," Steve reminds him that they are all coming together on Sunday for some fun in the sun when Danny wants to teach them some baseball tricks. Steve is leaning in on Cath to give her a proper good bye.

"Be careful Steve, don't get hurt," she is saying between kisses and lets him go reluctantly.

"I will, besides we will only sit in a room and get a briefing. I'm not allowed to participate in the night training, remember I'm on medical leave."

"Never underestimate a paper cut," Danny is grinning at his friend.

"Yeah right. See you guys later," one last look and he is gone.

"So are we still on for dinner," Danny is looking at the remaining group of four.

"Yeah I'm in, we can discuss the guest list again. Dr. Jordan you might know some people we never heard of who Steve would like to see again," Kono is looking at Steve's therapist who didn't say a word in the last half hour.

"Sure yeah I have time for dinner. Can I meet you at the Hilton a little later, I need to make a phone call first and catch up with you?"

"JoJo are you all right, you look worried," Cath was watching her the last minutes and is well aware that JoJo's attention was on Steve the whole time they were in the court room and after.

"Well _I am_ worried. Steve's not talking about what happened, about the memory the time in the hospital triggered. He barely told me once but he needs to get it all out. I think he needs a little more help from all of us. And I'm not so sure that he won't be called to the stand after all."

"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

"I know Danny. But you're already doing the right thing, just be there for him. Your plan for his birthday party is great, show him that he's surrounded by friends. At one point he will open up to you, just don't make him feel pushed away or abandoned. He wouldn't be able to deal with that right now and would shut himself off. He would build his walls back up and I don't think that they would ever come back down."

"He knows that we're his friends."

"Yes Kono he does and he is almost back to his old self, just not quite and he won't be able to get there on his own. He just needs to see that."

"Well then we will make sure that he does," Danny looks around and can see that his friends are in agreement. Shortly after they are on their way to dinner, getting the final touches on the party they are planning for Steve.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is on his way to the base now dressed in his service khakis, he had some time to think about what happened today in court. He is a little shocked about his reaction at being called to the stand. When he sat there he felt physically ill by the thought to have to answer any questions about his time in the hospital. He couldn't keep his hands from shaking and after a few minutes he was trembling. He tried every technique to calm himself he ever learned but to not much use, he just couldn't calm his body down. Mentally he was okay with being in the stand, but his body was slowly going into shock and he couldn't stop it. The more he tried the worse it got. He knows that JoJo was able to see how bad his reaction today was and he is sure that she will demand some extra sessions, which is fine by him, if he can find the time for it. At the moment he feels like he is running out of time, his schedule is totally crazy and he knows that he needs to slow down, he can't keep that up for much longer.

He is actually kind of glad to have received such a hard blow to his chest so that he is now on medical leave at least as far as the Navy's concerned. He is not allowed to take part in any active training for at least a week. He is still reporting to the briefing at the base and to get his instructions for his call to active duty in three weeks, even though no one knows if he can even participate in that. His eardrum needs to heal before he can fly or dive, but since his three-week-tour is not canceled yet, he thinks that flying or diving is not involved. He just has to wait and see.

When he is entering the base he still has fifteen minutes to spare, he parks his car on the designated parking space and goes to report to his CO.

"Hey Doggie," Steve grins when he hears the voice of his former partner Lieutenant Carl Jennings.

"Jenny, man it's good to see you," the two former SEAL's hug right there on the parking lot, "What are you doing here, I thought you're in Maryland?"

"Na, I switched to the reserves a few month back and moved the whole family back here last week, was going to call you."

"You're here to stay? That's great. How's Debby?"

"Great, she's due in nine weeks."

"What you're getting another kid? What's that by now a dozen?"

"Four Steve. We got four kids, well five soon."

"If you don't get another set of twins," Steve is laughing at his friend who was blessed or cursed, it depends on who you're asking, with two sets of twins in the last three years.

"Don't jinx it man," Carl is grinning back. "So why are you here?"

"Guess same as you, briefing and night training. Well I'm not participating in the night drill."

"What? Why not?"

"Cracked my breastbone couple days back and busted my eardrum."

"Ouch. The bruise and cut from that," Carl is indicating the still visible injuries on his forehead from getting blasted into the ocean last week.

"Yeah the ear and cut's from an explosion last week but the sternum and graze from getting shot this week."

"Wow you're a busy man."

"You could say that. Listen we should meet, how about dinner sometime next week?"

"Yeah come on over to the house Debby would love to see you again."

"It's a date and oh can I bring Cath," Steve is smiling at his former partner.

"Don't tell me you two finally got together," Carl Jennings is grinning from ear to ear when seeing Steve nodding, "Man I'm happy for you, was about damn time you two figured it out."

"Cath is stationed here in Pearl, we even work together twice a month, well work is not the right word, she is the liaisons officer and comes by the office," Steve is grinning when he thinks about Cath's last visit to his office.

"I know that grin Doggie, guess it's not just work that's going on in that office of yours. Hey can I come see you, take a look at the 'fabulous' Five-0?"

"Sure, I'd love for you to meet my team, come by next week if you like," Steve opens the door to the outer office of Captain Wells and lets Lieutenant Jennings proceed him. They are greeted by Petty Officer Coates the new yeoman of the captain.

"Sirs the captain is awaiting you. You can go right in."

"Thank you," Steve is looking at Jenny and can see that he's thinking the same thing 'just us'.

They are entering the office and can see that is indeed just them, they come to attention at his desk and need to wait a few moments before the Captain acknowledges them.

"At ease Gentlemen. I guess you're wondering why you're here?"

"Well Sir I was told to meet my team."

"Yes Commander, and you already did. Lieutenant Jennings will be your team."

"Sir I don't understand. Just the two of us?"

"Yes Commander. You have cut a deal with the Navy to be in the Reserves which I appreciate, don't get me wrong. It would be a shame to lose you. Twice a year we get you for three weeks and the mandatory weekends which are not just for training but we could activate you on those as well."

"Yes Sir I know that."

"Well to be honest Commander we both know that those three weeks are really not very practical. It would be difficult to integrate you in a team for such a short time, so we came up with a new plan."

"Which involves me Sir?"

"Yes Lieutenant Jennings, I'm coming to that in a minute. Commander you have very special skills and we think it would be a waste of your talent to just let you tag along in some team to fulfill your three weeks. We have an assignment for you, for the two of you. You worked together as a team before, very well actually. One of the best tag-teams we ever had. Lieutenant Jennings I know you thought your Reserve duty would be a regular one, five years in the Reserves and then one year active. But we like to offer you the same deal as Commaner McGarrett. You two would team up for your active duty."

"What kind of deal is that Sir," Carl doesn't know what Steve had going with the Navy.

"Three weeks twice a year as needed and one weekend a month, which would go from Thursday to Monday if we would have a mission for you on those weekends. But that would be very rare. Mostly it's Friday night to Sunday night for training."

"Sir I would like that," Carl knows that his wife would be ecstatic that he would not deploy for a full year, but just be gone for six weeks a year.

"Very well. You'll go on your first three week tour in a little less than three weeks. If the Commander will be fit by then. How is your ear Commander?"

"No ill effects anymore Sir, but the tear is not healed yet, I have another appointment mid next week then I will know more Sir."

"You're on medical leave at the moment, are you well enough to take part in the briefing that will follow?"

"Yes Sir as long as we don't have to run, I'll be fine."

"I promise no running around the table and the night training is canceled," Captain Wells is smiling for the first time since they entered his office. "Let's go to the conference room, Admiral Davies will join us and tell you about the OP."

They meet with Admiral Davies who seems very pleased that their plan to reactivate the team of McGarrett/Jennings goes over so well. They did some very unusual work together and if the Navy could take advantage of that talent again everyone would benefit from it.

Their meeting takes a little over three hours and it's almost eleven pm before Steve and Carl are back on the parking lot. Both are tired from the day's events and from the intense meeting they just had. Steve's pain medication lost its effect an hour ago and now he feels the full impact of his injury, every step over to his truck jars his breastbone and sends the tentacles of pain all the way over his chest and down to his belly.

"Hey Doggie you okay, you're moving a little stiff."

"I'll be fine, just tired. I'm glad you accepted their offer, it's great to work with you again."

"Yeah likewise. I'll call you tomorrow when I talked to Debby when we can meet next week and I will definitely come by your office sometime next week. Say hi to Cath from me," Carl is starting to go to his car but turns again, "and Steve, get some rest you look awful man."

"Yeah yeah, hey Jenny, give my best to Debby," Steve winks to his former, now future partner and gets in his own car to finally go home.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading. Please remember this was only the first day of trial there is more to come. So please hang in there. Drop me a line if you feel like it.<strong>_

_**And as always a little sneak peek into the next one.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34 - Interlude<strong>

**Sunday morning (127 days after the crash)**

Danny is watching his friend who is just getting 'tackled' by Grace, she obviously forgot to be careful with Steve; he explained to her that Steve is a little hurt and she can't jump him like she normally does, but his daughter doesn't seem to remember any of the talk they had not half an hour ago. He can see that Steve is slightly wincing when he lifts Grace up to settle her on his hip, where she immediately starts to talk his ear off. Danny can see that Steve is smiling at her and doesn't seem to mind that she's hurting him a little.


	34. Chapter 34 Interlude

**Chapter 34 - Interlude**

**Sunday morning (127 days after the crash)**

Danny is watching his friend who is just getting 'tackled' by Grace, she obviously forgot to be careful with Steve; he explained to her that Steve is a little hurt and she can't jump him like she normally does, but his daughter doesn't seem to remember any of the talk they had not half an hour ago. He can see that Steve is slightly wincing when he lifts Grace up to settle her on his hip, where she immediately starts to talk his ear off. Danny can see that Steve is smiling at her and doesn't seem to mind that she's hurting him a little.

Danny called Steve a few times on Saturday, two of those times he was asleep so Danny knows that he should be well rested and he must admit that he looks a lot better than he did on Friday. Danny is still very concerned about his partner who he knows is almost scared to testify in the trial, he never saw his friend in such a state and he really doesn't like it.

He still tries to get any information out of Steve about his meeting with his 'CO', but Steve is not saying anything, just that he met with a former team mate of his, who they will all meet soon when he will come by the office. Danny still has a hard time to get the concept of classified, he just doesn't understand why he can't tell his best friend about his meeting or what he's about to do. Of course he knows what it all means to Steve and that he would never break his code of honor as an officer, he would never breach protocol. Danny has to laugh about that, why can't he play by the book with Five-0 when he's perfect as a Naval Officer?

"Hi Danny, what's up with you," the mentioned Officer is just looking his way.

"Hey yourself. Nothing. Grace remember what I told you," Danny is looking rather sternly at his daughter who's still attached to her Uncle Steve's hip.

"I'm sorry Uncle Steve I didn't mean to hurt you," she is wiggling her way down from her perch on Steve, "Danno said not to jump you like that, sorry I forgot."

"Don't worry Gracie you didn't hurt me," Steve is grinning at his friend, who is just shaking his head.

"Uncle Steve will you go out with me onto the field, I can show you where to stand," before he can even say anything she grabs his hand and drags him away from Danny to show him where to stand on the field.

Chin just finished laying the bases out so that they can play their game. They are not enough people to really play of course since they are only six, but Danny insisted that they at least need bases so that Steve can learn the proper way to play baseball. Danny was shocked when he learned that Steve never attended a professional baseball game but his world was shattered when he had to learn that Steve never ever played baseball. How can a boy never have played baseball? Steve's answer to that was that he was too busy with football and swimming and diving to hit a ball with a stick.

That actually left Danny speechless for a few seconds, of course that 'child abuse', not to let a boy play baseball, needed to be corrected right away. So now they are here to show Steve how to play baseball. Even though Steve assured Danny that he knows how to and that he even watches it on TV. But Danny was adamant to get Steve to actually play.

"No no monkey, Steve needs to learn to hit the ball first."

"Danny I'm sorry but I can't be the batter, I can't turn sideways," Steve led himself being dragged further away by Grace. Sometimes it comes in handy to have a bad back and chest. At least his ankle is not bothering him anymore, the brace is keeping his foot from moving sideways and that would be the only movement that would hurt. Since he can't do that he's not in pain at all and the brace allows for normal walking, so it's no hindrance.

Danny is a little suspicious that the injury comes a little too handy but he wouldn't risk his friend getting hurt even more just because he wants him to hit some balls. "Okay fine, Gracie show him where to stand and what to do. Kono would you like to pitch first?"

"Sure Danny," she has to smile a little at her team mate, he seems completely in his element.

"Okay who wants to go first," Danny is looking at his 'team'; Chin and Cath are talking ten yards to the left and paying no attention to him whatsoever and Steve and Gracie are joking around ten yards to the right and seem to have totally forgotten that they are here to play a ball game. "Okay fine I go first," not that anyone is listening. He grumbles to himself but when he is ready for the game to start he is pleasantly surprised that the others are in position and are all smiling his way.

Danny must admit that this game is rather frustrating, Kono might be able to knock out a guy twice her size but can't throw a ball if her life depended on it. He really did his best to hit the ball that was flying by him way out of the hitting zone every time, but he must accept defeat. None of her balls were even remotely hittable. It was kind of reassuring that Chin didn't fare any better, or Cath for that matter.

"Kono would you like to change positions," he is approaching her.

"I think I'm getting the hang for it now," Kono is beaming at him.

Danny is sure that he can hear Steve's snorting laughter but when he turns around Steve and Grace are all business and looking calmly his way. "Oh you find this funny? Okay my friend just wait I'm going to show you a home-run now", Danny is determent to hit that damn ball and wipe that stupid grin off of his friends face. And he does but not the way he wanted to.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve is lying on his back, gently rubbing his hurting abdomen where the ball impacted. The impact actually knocked the wind out of him and let him fall backwards. It's a good thing that the bruises that are still visible on his abdomen are not that sensitive to touch anymore and that any pressure put on it won't let him instantly throw up. But it still hurts like a bitch to get hit by a baseball full force. Danny was going for a home-run but unfortunately for Steve his hit went a little low and even more bad luck for Steve was that he was in the path of the ball, which impacted about mid center of his upper body. He went down with a sound he is not very proud of. He is still lying on the ground looking up at the perfectly blue sky and thinks why he can't go out and have fun with his friends without getting injured in some way. Okay fine he didn't get injured, well that of course depends on if a bad bruise will count as an injury. If the ball would have impacted just a little higher on his cracked breastbone he would probably look at serious injury but he was kind of lucky.

Five heads are now blocking his view to the sky, "Uncle Steve are you okay?" Grace is kneeling next to him and unceremoniously lifts his t-shirt, "Oh! I'll get you some ice Uncle Steve, don't get up, I'll be right back," before he can even say that he is fine, she is gone in a dead sprint to the cooler with their drinks.

"Steve I'm really sorry, you okay," Danny is looking at the angry red mark the size of a baseball on his partner's upper belly, which will surely transform into a painful dark bruise.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't be sorry, it was an accident, besides you hit like a girl, that would never have been a home-run," he is grinning at his friend but winces when he is sitting up a little to lean on his arms. By now Grace is back and slaps a huge bag of ice onto him. "Ah Gracie that is a lot of ice, did you get everything out of the cooler?"

"Yeah, do you think it's enough," she is very unsuccessfully trying to keep the ice cubes from sliding out of the open plastic bag.

"Look Grace I just take these two cubes and you put the rest back into the cooler for later. When these are melted I might need some more," Steve is smiling at his little doctor who seems to think about the suggestion very hard.

"Okay. But don't get up before I'm back," she is sternly looking at him before she turns to her dad. "Danno make sure he stays put."

"Of course Gracie," after Grace is out of earshot he turns back to his 'downed' friend. "Thanks for letting Grace 'doctor' you, she needs that, she is still really worried about you."

"I know, I hope she will get over it soon," before he can say anything else Grace is back and she looks rather angry. "Hey Gracie what' wrong? Look I'm fine, doesn't even hurt anymore."

She turns with an angry glare at Danny, "Danno don't hurt Uncle Steve again!"

Danny almost takes a step back by her outburst, "Grace, monkey I didn't mean to hurt Steve."

"If he is hurt he can't watch your back and then you will get hurt. You have to make sure that he is all right, promise Danno. Promise me you watch out for him so that he can watch out for you, I love you both and I don't want you get hurt."

They all can understand her simple logic, if either one of them is not there the other might get hurt.

"Gracie come here, we always watch out for each other and Chin and Kono will help us. We're a team," Danny is holding his daughter who is now crying, finally after so many months letting out what was bottled up all that time. All her worries and fears about losing either one of her most important men in her life. "It's okay monkey, everything will be fine."

"You let Uncle Steve get hurt so badly, I was so scared for him. You have to keep him safe, he is always keeping you safe, but you weren't there and he almost died," Grace is still crying and looks at her father who is rather shocked to hear that she thinks it was his fault that her Uncle Steve got hurt. Of course he knows that she is not blaming him, but is just scared out of her mind that he or his best friend might get hurt again.

"Gracie, will you come here for a moment," Steve is softly talking to her. He is by now kneeling and looks at her with the shy smile he reserves just for his family. Gracie practically launches herself into his arms. "Your dad saved me Gracie, he didn't give up looking for me after I got lost in the jungle. He saved my life and he was always there for me, even when I was very confused and mad at him, when I thought that he wasn't my friend anymore. When I thought that I was all alone in the world and no one loved me anymore because I was such an idiot. But your father was always right beside me. Grace it was never his fault that I got hurt, never. He is my best friend, I love him very much and I would be really sad if you were mad at him for something that was not his fault," Steve is very aware of his friends around him, who never heard him speak with such emotion to anyone.

"You can't be an idiot Uncle Steve, Danno says you're one of the smartest people he knows," Grace proclaims in all her innocence.

"He said that," the grin on Steve's face is in danger to split his face, contrary to Danny's face that is a very nice shade of red, "well Grace, even smart people can do something really stupid sometimes," after he let go of her and she seems to be a little calmer he asks her the question he knows the answer to already. "What do you think you ready for some shave ice?"

"Yeah! Always Uncle Steve. Daddy I'm sorry I was mad at you," Grace stopped crying while Steve talked to her and seems to bounce back to her normal happy self. "Love you Daddy."

"Love you too monkey. So does that mean our game is over," but his daughter is already on her way to the cars, animatedly chatting with Kono and Cath, telling them which flavor she will try today. The three guys are left behind to pick up their stuff. "Steve are you really okay? That was a pretty hard hit," he is helping his friend up who is still gently rubbing the reddening spot where the ball impacted.

"Yeah I'm fine, hurts a little and I will probably get a new bruise for my collection."

"Well you wouldn't have gotten hit if you had paid attention instead of goofing around with my daughter. Baseball is a serious sport Steven."

"Yes Dear."

"Stop laughing, both of you. I'm serious, one day you will see the finer points of this great sport."

"Sure Danny, whatever you say. I think I already get the finer points, let me see, today I was _standing_ on a field, _watching_ someone trying to hit a ball with a stick, after three tries that someone, whose name will remain a secret, _walked_ to the next white t-shirt, excuse me next base. The only action during that time had the one throwing a ball that no one ever hit. I didn't even have to _look_ after a ball, let alone _run_ after one, I mean not that anyone was running anywhere. Come to think of it, we all just kind of stood around, well of course only until hotshot here hit the ball with his stick into his best friend. I have to tell you Danny, this was my first baseball game I played, the action and excitement really got to me. I can't wait to do it again."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your recount of this great afternoon on the playing field?"

"No Danny of course not, I wouldn't dream of it," Steve is not moving a muscle and delivers his line with a straight face.

"I'll make a baseball fan out of you, you just wait."

"Danny I do watch baseball, I love to watch the version of a game when all the boring stuff is cut out, ouch, hey what did you hit me for," Steve is rubbing his arm where Danny hit him not so lightly.

"There is no boring stuff in baseball, and the hitting was for making fun of my sport. Stick! I give you a stick up your. . .hey monkey," the three girls are looking a little strange at 'their' three men when they reach the parked cars.

Steve is still rubbing his arm, sure to get yet another bruise, Chin his fighting to keep his laughter in and Danny is just smiling smugly, "So you ladies ready to go?"

H50 – H50 – H50

"Steve you want a beer," Danny is calling out from the kitchen where he is getting the drinks ready to take out to the beach behind Steve's house.

"No thanks," Steve saunters into the kitchen and takes a soda out of the fridge, "still on antibiotics and pain meds."

"How much longer?"

"Just today with the antibiotics, the pain meds, well it depends, I try to stretch the time between doses but it gets really uncomfortable without them."

Danny is looking at his friend, who doesn't seem to have a problem to admit that he is in pain, that's a new one. He has to smile at this development, he likes this new openness of his friend. "Steve I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah," Steve sits down at the kitchen table and looks at his partner questionable, "what about?"

"Your gun."

"My gun? Danny what'd you mean?"

"The one that was taken from you in Afghanistan. I know that you blame yourself that two officers were shot with it."

"I don't Danny. If it wouldn't have been my gun, they would have used another one. But I do blame myself for losing the gun."

"You didn't lose it Steven, you were shot and they took it."

"Doesn't matter, Hani is right, a soldier shouldn't let his gun be taken. No matter what."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah Danny I'm serious. That gun was issued to me, I was responsible for it and now it ended up here in Hawaii and two officers were shot with it. I know my gun didn't make the difference but it should not have been MY gun that the two were shot with. Danny I can't explain it, but I failed. I failed my team and myself. And yes I do feel guilty about it, I was the team leader, my men were my responsibility. I led them into the ambush that got them almost killed. I didn't see it and instead of getting them out I got myself shot and needed to be saved. That is not very good leadership Danny."

"Well my friend I happen to know that the ambush was not your fault and I know that you came out of cover to save one of your men, who was about to get shot from behind. Instead you took a bullet. You did everything to ensure the safety of your men, because of you they came out of it with just some minor injuries and were able to come after you. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You were cleared of all wrong doing and as far as I know you even got a commendation for your actions," Danny is smiling at his blushing friend.

"How'd you know that?"

"I have my ways," of course he can't tell him that he was talking to one of his buddies from back then, who is also coming to his party, "Come on Steve, we had such a great day, stop blaming yourself and enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow we look into the gun story again and maybe we can find out how it got here to Hawaii."

"You're right, this is not very productive. Thank you Danny. We need to appear in court again tomorrow, you're up to the witness stand."

"Yeah I know, you think they will call you again?"

"I hope not. Danny I know you think I could do it, but really I can't. It's so strange I have no problem thinking about it, but my body is acting up on its own, I can't control it. If I think about the memory that got triggered I go into shock. Even JoJo can't explain it. It keeps me from talking about it but I know I need to, I. . .I dream about it, I wake up shaking and sick. It's almost like my body is programmed to not allow speaking about it. Danny you think that is possible, that they did something?"

"Who?"

Steve is not answering but looks at his friend wide eyed, his breathing is really fast, he is almost hyperventilating, he can feel cold sweat on his forehead, he feels lightheaded and black spots are invading his vision. Danny is talking to him but he can't understand him, but feels himself being lowered to the floor with his feet on the chair he just occupied. He can't catch his breath and his chest hurts and he realizes that he is just having some kind of panic attack. Danny is still talking and he looks really scared, it's the look that calms Steve down and let him take a deep breath. He doesn't want his friend to be scared. He closes his eyes to get his bearings but opens them again when Danny gently hits his cheeks, obviously thinking that he's losing consciousness.

"Steve! That's it, breathe in and out, good, you're doing good. Come on don't pass out on me."

"I'm not. . .'m good."

"Yeah I can see that, keep breathing. You're not kidding about going into shock. Man you scared me, one second you're fine next you're on the floor. You want to sit up," Danny is helping his friend back onto the chair. He is getting better as fast as he went into that panic mode.

"I'm fine Danny, thanks. Guess we better don't talk about that again," Steve closes his eyes again and does some deep breathing exercise.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah I'm good. Danny I don't want this to happen in court, that's why I can't be in the witness stand. I have no control over this, I can't stop it. I tried every technique I know, nothing helps. Something is seriously wrong."

"Did you try hypnosis?"

"What?"

"Hypnosis. Does JoJo work with it?"

"She taught me self-hypnosis, that's what I did back in the hospital when I zoned out on you."

"Did you guys ever try hypnosis in therapy?"

"Yeah once, it was a disaster. Didn't work well."

"She couldn't get you under?"

"What? Oh she got me under, I was so far gone I told her complete nonsense, I was back in my childhood when I was five or something like that. Not what we wanted to accomplish, but it was very entertaining for her."

"I bet it was," Danny is grinning when he envisions Steve as a mischievous five-year-old, he needs to ask Dr. Jordan about that session.

"Hey you two! We're waiting for our drinks, what's taking you so long," Cath is coming into the kitchen and is looking suspiciously at Steve.

"Sorry we were just on our way out," Danny is grabbing the drinks and is out the door in a flash, leaving his two friends alone.

"What's going on? Everything okay," Cath is sitting down next to Steve and looks at him with a questionable look.

"Not really," Steve is looking at his friend and doesn't know how to tell her about his problem, he kept that detail away from her all that time since he remembered his surgery. But finally he does tell her, about how he recovered the memory at JoJo's and his reaction he just had. About how worried he is that it might happen in court.

Cath is looking at her friend and can see that he is very pale and there is sheen of sweat on his forehead, his breathing is a little too fast, he tries to take slow breaths but is not very successful, "Listen why don't we go out and join the others. Let's not talk about it right now, I think you shouldn't think about it without JoJo. Come on the others are waiting for us, I'm pretty sure the first steaks are already burned," she is dragging Steve out of the kitchen and hopefully away from the thoughts that seem to make him rather sick.

Steve is following her, he knows that it's not taking him anywhere to dwell on his body's reaction, he needs to talk to a professional about it. Maybe he should call Mark, hopefully he will be able to meet with him and preferable JoJo as well. His mind made up he joins his friends who are indeed already enjoying the first steaks.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you're still having fun with the story.<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Here is the sneak for the next chapter:<strong>_

**Chapter 35 - The Trial / JoJo**

**Monday (128 days after the crash)  
><strong>

"Your Honor I like to call Captain Jordan to the stand," Lieutenant Commander McAllister is looking at Judge Elder and waits for JoJo to make her way to the witness stand.

Steve is sandwiched between Cath and Danny, perfectly knowing that they want to give him the maximum support, but still he is dreading this whole trial. He's been in the witness stand numerous times in military courts as well as in 'normal' courts, but he never had to participate in a court marital where he was the subject and the reason why this whole procedure is conducted. He looks at JoJo and can see that she is smiling at him, he had the chance to talk to her for a few minutes before the trial started and she assured him that she will meet with Mark and him to find out why his body won't let him remember his ordeal in some field hospital.


	35. Chapter 35 The Trial  JoJo

**Chapter 35 - The Trial / Dr. Jo-Beth Jordan**

**Monday (128 days after the trial)**

"Your Honor I like to call Captain Jordan to the stand," Lieutenant Commander McAllister is looking at Judge Elder and waits for JoJo to make her way to the witness stand.

Steve is sandwiched between Cath and Danny, perfectly knowing that they want to give him the maximum support, but still he is dreading this whole trial. He's been in the witness stand numerous times in military courts as well as in 'normal' courts, but he never had to participate in a court marital where he was the subject and the reason why this whole procedure is conducted. He looks at JoJo and can see that she is smiling at him, he had the chance to talk to her for a few minutes before the trial started and she assured him that she will meet with Mark and him to find out why his body won't let him remember his ordeal in some field hospital.

"Captain Jordan, you're stationed at Tripler as a psychiatrist, is that correct?"

"Yes I am."

"How many psychiatrists are under your command, you are the department head, is that right?"

"Yes Commander I am. I have five psychiatrists, two interns, and one civilian who is there as part of exchange program with Queens Medical."

"You've been working for thirty years now in that field?"

"Yes I am."

"So I can assume that you have a vast experience of all kind of cases?"

"You could say that. My main field is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and everything that's linked to that, which is the most common psychological problem in the military."

"Would your peers call you an expert in that field?"

"Yes I think so."

"Objection Your Honor, is this leading anywhere," for the first time Army Captain Peterson is speaking up, he is the defense attorney assigned to Captain Neill.

"Your Honor I'm just establishing the status of Captain Jordan, I'm going to direct my questions next."

"Overruled. But proceed quickly, Captain Jordan's reputation is not in question here."

"Yes Your Honor."

"Captain Jordan you put the order in Commander McGarrett's medical file not to physically restrain him under any circumstances, is that correct?"

"Yes that's right."

"When did you do that?"

"In 2008, but I updated his files and the order when he was brought in a week before the incident."

"Why did you do that Captain?"

"I didn't want any misunderstanding. I wanted to make sure that the order was current and not outdated."

"Did you talk to Captain Neill about that order?"

"I told him that I updated the file and if he had any questions he should contact me."

"Captain Jordan did you write an alternative to restraints in the file?"

"Yes I did I ordered to sedate Commander McGarrett if needed, I wrote in the file with what drug and which amount works best with him."

"So in your opinion if Dr. Neill felt the need to calm the Commander for whatever reason, he had other options than restraints?"

"Absolutely. Even if there were no orders in his file, he should never have been restrained. Commander McGarrett had casts on his arm and leg. He was seriously injured and restraints could only make that worse."

"Thank you Captain. I have no further questions."

"Captain Peterson, do you have questions for the Captain?"

"Yes Your Honor I do."

That was rather surprising since JoJo can only be harmful to Captain Neill; at least that is the opinion everyone in the courtroom has.

"Captain Jordan, how long has Commander McGarrett been your patient?"

"Objection Your Honor what does that have to do with the charges against Captain Neill?"

"Your honor I'm trying to establish that Captain Neill was in his right to disobey that order, since it was an unlawful one and therefore not just his right, but his duty to disobey it."

To say that the people in the courtroom are shocked would be an understatement.

"Overruled. This I like to hear, I'm going to give you some leeway, but I'm warning you, don't play games in my court room."

"Yes Your Honor, thank you. So Captain, my question was since when has Commander McGarrett been your patient?"

"Since his first year in the Academy, since he was nineteen."

"Did you see him on his mandatory sessions twice a year?"

"No. Midshipman McGarrett was sentenced to attend one of my anger management classes once a week for three months."

Steve is slightly blushing when his teammates are looking at him and Danny can't quite hold his snickering in.

"Anger management? What did he do?"

"He was fighting in the hall with a third year midshipman."

"That is a serious offense, cadets get expelled for lesser serious misconduct. Why was he just given three months counseling?"

"Midshipman McGarrett's record until that day was exemplary, he had several commendations for exemplary conduct and he was in the intervening group. That played a huge factor."

"What is the intervening group?"

"Those are the midshipmen who are selected to intervene before a conflict blows out of proportion. He and his team would talk to the two or more people who are in conflict and would try to come up with a non-violent solution. He was the first 'first-year-midshipman' ever to be elected into that group."

"Your Honor, it's all nice to hear about Commander McGarrett, but is this leading anywhere," McAllister is looking at the judge and can't really see where this is going, well to be honest none of the attending can.

"Captain my patience is running thin."

"Yes Your Honor. Captain you practically established that Midshipman McGarrett was a peaceful, non-violent cadet who suddenly had a violent outburst and seriously injured a fellow midshipman. Is that correct?"

"No that's not correct. Two cadets had a run-in and where both injured, Commander McGarrett suffered a concussion and had to spend the night in sick bay," Captain Jordan is smiling when she remembers how he ended up there.

"None the less he did fight in the halls and he was in quite a few fights during his time at the Academy. He disobeyed quite a few orders, but none of that is in his permanent file. Seems to me that he is quite uncontrollable, is he Captain Jordan?"

"Are you referring to the incident when he and his team mates were in an accident and the bus sunk in the bay? Where a team mate was killed right next to him and he refused to go to the hospital to get checked out, but wanted to stay until his friend was recovered? Or are you referring to the incident where he got beaten up without defending himself by some Army guys and he snuck out of the hospital to attend his friend's memorial with said friend's parents? Well then yes you're right, but he didn't do that because he gained any benefit for himself but because his honor dictated to do just that. And I have no idea what you wish to gain from asking me these questions."

"Captain Jordan just answer my questions please, was Commander McGarrett ever combative while in your care?"

"No."

"No? He always followed your orders or advice?"

"Yes he did."

"He never attacked you? In his medical file is an incident where he attacked you, knocked you out and fled the hospital."

"He didn't attack me, he had no idea what he was doing. He was doped up on some unknown drugs and had a fever of 104, he still has no recollection of any of it."

"Pretty much the same situation like in the hospital where he attacked a nurse and injured her."

"No, it's not the same at all. Back in 1997, the gang he was infiltrating was trying to kill him with an overdose of their drug. He was working for NCIS, whom he informed about some dubious deals he became aware of at the Academy. NCIS recruited him to find out more about it. Since he was still a cadet, he was the perfect person to do that. But he was made and they tried to get rid of him. But by then he already had gathered all the evidence NCIS needed to bust the whole ring. When I went to see him he was totally out of his mind, he was not himself and not responsible for what he did. No one blamed him for the attack, everyone was just glad that he survived. Steve McGarrett was never uncontrollable or violent, only when he needed to be to save his own life or that of others."

"Well I guess that is debatable. Captain Neill knew that he attacked his attending physicians in the past that he injured other people during wild outbursts of rage, it is understandable that Captain Neill thought that order to be wrong."

"YOUR HONOR, this is not a closing argument, is the defense asking a question?"

"Commander McAllister sit down please. Captain my patience runs out either you're asking Captain Jordan a question or end this now."

"Yes Your Honor," the young attorney is looking at JoJo and tries to gauge her reaction to his next question, he knows never to ask a question you don't know the answer to and he has no idea what she will say, but there is just no defense for his client, so he has to risk it, "Captain Jordan if you would get a patient with the past of Commander McGarrett and find him attacking one of your nurses and trying to get out of the bed, hurting himself and others, would you have restrained him?"

Everyone is holding his breath, Steve is looking at her, smiling because he knows the answer to that one, she already told them a few minutes ago.

"No absolutely not. Commander McGarrett was disoriented, had a high fever, had a serious head injury and numerous broken bones. I would have given him a sedative and called his therapist right away, not just because it was the order in his file, but because it would be the right thing to do for a suffering patient, who was obviously in pain and dire distress."

They can all see it, Captain Peterson hangs his head and just knows that he just lost his case. He knew that it would be a long shot to get his client off, that it would be practically impossible, but if he could at least put some doubt in the jury's mind, he might have a chance to get away with a lesser sentence.

"Thank you Captain, I have no further questions," he sits down in his chair defeated and everyone knows it.

"Commander McAllister you like to redirect?"

"Yes your honor, just one question," she can't pass this opportunity after JoJo set the stage so perfectly with her last sentence, "When you arrived at the hospital that night, what condition did you find Commander McGarrett in?"

"Commander McGarrett was in very bad shape, his fever from the antibiotics was 104, he was screaming and fighting the restraints, he was in excruciating pain from his arm which he broke during his struggle, his BP and heart rate were off the chart, he was just minutes from stroking out. He almost choked on his own vomit because they left him alone and he was not able to turn on his side, it was a sight I will never forget. I still can't understand how someone with such injuries could be restrained by a doctor. I took the restraints off right away, he recognized me immediately and calmed down but I still needed to sedate him because of the severe pain he was in. He was transported to Queens Medical within the hour. Commander McGarrett was seriously injured by this incident and was thrown back weeks in his recovery."

"Thank you Captain, I have no further questions."

"You may step down Captain. We will recess for ninety minutes and continue at fourteen-hundred hours. Adjourned."

H50 – H50 – H50

"Why did he ask you any questions, I mean it was clear that your testimony would be devastating to his defense," Danny is asking what everyone is thinking when they file out of the courtroom.

"I think it was a desperate attempt to show that Steve was a danger to himself and the staff. But that is total nonsense and even if that were the case, Steve was not able to do much with his fever and the casts, Neill could have easily sedated him, problem solved."

"Would you like to grab something to eat? I'm kind of starving," Steve is looking around his friends and hopes that they forget about the stuff JoJo said in court. But of course no such luck.

"Yeah sure let's get some lunch. So Steve you attended anger management classes, wonder why that is," Danny is grinning at his friend.

"That is all you heard? You didn't hear that I was also in a team that was looking for non-violent solutions, all you hone in on is the anger management class without even knowing why I had to attend it," Steve is pretending to be angry, but he is not, because he just knows that Danny is not capable of letting such opportunity slide.

"Well Steve you can't blame your friend, you never even told me why you two were fighting," JoJo is looking at Steve in the hope to finally learn why he attacked the older fellow cadet.

Steve is looking for a long moment at his friends and decides that it is time to tell them, "When I went to the Academy I was put in a room with a guy from Boston, Tim. He was so totally different than me. I was not very talkative, you know that I'm not talking much but today I'm a real chatter-box compared to when I was at the Academy. I was _very_ quiet; I only talked when I had to. Tim on the other hand wouldn't shut up, he was talking my ear off any chance he got. It was actually really comforting, I listened and he talked. Tim was on the short side of tall, he was just making the height minimum requirement, he was about a head shorter than me." Steve is smiling at Danny thinking about how very much alike those two are, "Anyway there was this one guy who was always picking on Tim, he was looking for something he did wrong all the time. There are a million things you can do wrong at the Academy, little things like making your bed the wrong way, having something lying around during an inspection. Something like that. And he would always find something, always. Tim always took it, he never complained, he said he was used to it all his life. Tim didn't deserve that, he was a great friend and would be a great officer one day. But he kind of gave up on himself being not on the receiving end. That day we just came from our physics class when that guy suddenly stood in front of us and scolded Tim for not wearing his uniform right. There was nothing wrong with his uniform. Tim just took the verbal beating and said he would straighten it out right away. I just couldn't take it anymore. He was picking on my friend for months now and I guess I just snapped. I have no idea what I said to him, I just punched him. When he was lying on the floor I knew my career was over, fighting in the halls is a deadly sin, so I thought what the heck, he will at least never again pick on the smaller one, so I went after him. It was a pretty ugly fight, he was older, taller, heavier and he had a lot more fight practice than I did. But he lost anyway," Steve is now grinning.

"But you were not expelled," Danny is now chiming in.

"No I was not. When we were separated all the people around us were suddenly stepping up and were saying that I just defended my friend and that the midshipman was terrorizing them all the time. There was an investigation and he was stripped of all his privileges and I had to attend JoJo's class."

"So Tim was not the only victim?"

"No he wasn't."

"You still in contact with your roommate," Danny is looking at his friend and can see for a fleeting moment the pain in his eyes.

"Tim died in December, he drowned. If we wouldn't have switched places to the front of the bus, because I got sick in the back seat he might still be alive."

"Steve it was not your fault, you tried everything you could to get him out," JoJo can't even remember how often they had this conversation.

"My best friend died right in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I let him drown."

"Stop that Steve, you didn't let him drown, he was stuck, it took the rescue team two hours to get him out. They had to use force to keep you out of the freezing water away from the submerged bus, you had no way to save him, you know that."

"I know but it doesn't make it any easier."

"I know that. Come on guys we don't have that much time left, let's go eat something before Danny is up in the stand," JoJo is looking around and can see that Steve's story affected all of them. She knew that there was an investigation into the conduct of Steve's opponent, but she had no idea that he was just stepping up for his friend. He risked the end of his career for his friend.

"What do they want you for anyway," Chin is trying to get the conversation further away from a very painful memory of Steve's.

"I have no idea but Dr. Hope is going up there before I do, I think this whole thing is completely nuts, I mean Neill disobeyed an order right? Why do we all need to be questioned," Danny is looking at Steve for an answer but it's Cath that is speaking up for the first time.

"Captain Neill is accused of a few things, disobeying an order, negligence that resulted in serious injury, misuse of power, and the most serious one conduct unbecoming for lying to his CO and superior officers as well as his patient."

"That is conduct unbecoming," Danny is looking like he doesn't believe that.

"Well conduct unbecoming can be used for almost everything Danny. An officer doesn't lie, if he does, especially to a CO or superior, that would not be worthy an officer and gentlemen. That is a serious offense. An officer has to hold himself to a higher standard at all times."

"Oh, well okay."

They have by now reached the small restaurant and are seated at a round table. They all order sandwiches and some salad which is all they will have time for before they need to be back in court.

It only takes a few minutes for their food to arrive before they dig in, JoJo who sits next to Steve softly speaks to him, "Steve you're awfully quiet, you okay?"

"I'm fine. I think Peterson will call me to the stand. His defense is based on me being violent and a danger to his staff, he will not let that rest. I'm pretty sure I will have to step up there."

"He would be stupid to get you up there, that would be the last nail in the coffin."

"No it wouldn't, not if I can't control myself up there."

"Let's not dwell on that now, I think it would be dumb to call you up and I don't think he'll do that," JoJo is not so sure about that, but she needs to steer Steve into safer waters, it wouldn't be good if he would pursue that train of thoughts.

"You don't really believe that but I know what you're doing. Thanks JoJo. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate all you've done for me. Without you I would be locked up in a padded room by now."

Dr. Jordan smiles at her patient, it's something new for him to be so open about his feelings and verbalizing them. She hopes that he will keep this leftover from his head injury, that is one personally change everyone should be happy about. Her smile widens even more when she can see him slightly blushing when he becomes aware what he just said in front of all his friends none the less. "You're very welcome," she smiles warmly at him. She knows that her relationship with Steve is more than that of patient/doctor it's much more than friendship. That is why she is not doing any evaluation or mandatory sessions with him in the last few years ever since their relationship went beyond the pure professional level. Twice a year he sees a colleague of hers for his evals and mandatory sessions. So far this arrangement works for everyone.

About twenty minutes later they are done with their lunch and are back on their way to court, this time to listen to what Mark Hope has to say.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading. I hope that I get the 'tone' of the court-proceedings somewhat right. I'm not a lawyer but I did watch all ten seasons of JAG, does that count? :-) <strong>_

_**I hope you're still enjoying the story, five more chapters to go.**_

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><p><em><strong>And of course here is a sneak peek into the next one.<strong>_

**Chapter 36 – The Trial**

**Dr. Mark Hope / Sergeant Square / Detective Danny Williams**

**Monday (128 days after the crash)**

"Commander McAllister you're ready to call your next witness?"

"Yes Your Honor I call Dr. Mark Hope to the stand."

Mark Hope looks slightly nervous when he is crossing the court room to sit in the witness stand. It's his very first time in a court room, he was called once as an expert witness, but before he had to testify the defendant took the plea bargain. He sits down and waits for what is coming his way.

"Will you please state your name and occupation for the court?"

"Dr. Mark Hope, I'm a neurosurgeon at Queens Medical."

"You're the head of department?"

"Yes I am."


	36. Chapter 36 The Trial Hope

_**I hope you'll enjoy this next installment. I'd really appreciate it if you'd drop me a line and tell me what you think.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 36 – The Trial<strong>

**Dr. Mark Hope / Sergeant Square / Detective Danny Williams**

**Monday (128 days after the crash)**

"Commander McAllister you're ready to call your next witness?"

"Yes Your Honor I call Dr. Mark Hope to the stand."

Mark Hope looks slightly nervous when he is crossing the court room to sit in the witness stand. It's his very first time in a court room, he was called once as an expert witness, but before he had to testify the defendant took the plea bargain. He sits down and waits for what is coming his way.

"Will you please state your name and occupation for the court?"

"Dr. Mark Hope, I'm a neurosurgeon at Queens Medical."

"You're the head of department?"

"Yes I am."

"Dr. Hope Steve McGarrett was in your care before he was transferred to Tripler and after he went back to Queens is that correct?"

"Yes that's right."

"Dr. Hope we heard about the injuries Commander McGarrett suffered when he was brought to your attention. His injuries would be called serious?"

"When Steve was brought in by helicopter the first time his chances of survival were fifty/fifty at best. His injuries were life threatening, he coded in the helicopter and again in the ER," that was a detail he never told his friends.

"But he did recover?"

"Yes after he woke up his recovery was remarkably, Commander McGarrett has incredible healing powers."

"Is Commander McGarrett still in your care?"

"That falls under patient confidentiality, I can't answer that."

"Dr. Hope that confidentiality was declared void for this trial, none of this will leave the court room, everyone here is bound to that agreement. So is Commander McGarrett still seeing you?"

Steve is looking at his doctor and gives him the go ahead with just a minuscule nod of his head, while his friends are wondering where this is going. They know that Steve was seeing him on occasion but have no idea what that has to do with the case.

"Yes he is. We meet once a week."

"As I understand it Commander McGarrett needed to take medication every five hours for 12 weeks. I understand that he saw you once a week during that time, but that ended four weeks ago, why is the Commander still seeing you on a regular basis? He is after all cleared for full duty by the Navy and by you."

"He is fit for duty, there is no doubt about that, but he is still suffering long term effects from his injuries that are not affecting his ability to perform his duties."

"Such as?"

"He is getting severe headaches almost every day for a short period of time."

"How short a time?"

"No longer than an hour but mostly just a few minutes."

"Why is that, why does he still suffer from an injury he sustained more than five month ago? And is that the only symptom he still has?"

"It's called Post Concussive Syndrome. There are other symptoms as well."

"What kind of symptoms?"

"Fatigue; nausea; memory problems."

"What is causing that?"

"Well Commander McGarrett had two prior serious head injuries; that's why this one was so bad even though it was 'just' a severe concussion. The brain needs time to heal from such an injury and every stress during that time, especially during the first two weeks will increase the chance to develop a severe case of PCS. Steve was subjected to extreme stress during his time at Tripler."

"Objection Your Honor, Dr. Hope was not present during Commander McGarrett's time at Tripler."

"Dr. Hope is an expert in his field and very capable to evaluate the level of stress Commander McGarrett was subjected to."

"Overruled please proceed."

"Dr. Hope in your expert opinion did the last two days at Tripler play an important role to the state Commander McGarrett is still in?"

"Steve woke up at Tripler completely disoriented because he was still held under sedation; he was not informed in a manner that he was able to understand what was happening with him. He was subjected to painful medical treatments without his consent or his understanding, his friends and family were kept away from him without telling him why that was happening. He was subjected to a cruel and brutal treatment while he suffered a dangerously high fever. That treatment caused the need to sedate him for more than twenty four hours which is never a good idea for someone with a severe head injury. Yes the last two days at Tripler caused my patient enormous stress that is directly responsible for the delay in recovery and the pain Commander McGarrett is still suffering."

"So you are sure that Dr. Neill's treatment is directly responsible for injuries Commander McGarrett sustained?"

"Yes I am."

"Thank you Dr. Hope. No further questions."

"Captain Peterson you have any questions?"

"Yes Your Honor. Dr. Hope isn't it so that Commander McGarrett suffered so severe headaches that you put him in a coma to save his life and that the PCS was caused by his second kidnapping?"

"No, his head injury was under control due to the coma, his pain level was very low when he woke up. All his problems started after he was subjected to the emotional and physical stress at Tripler."

"Counselors sidebar," Judge Elder is calling the two attorneys to his bench. "Captain Peterson this is the second time that you have asked a witness of the prosecution a question knowing that the answer is devastating to your defense. If you are trying to get this case dismissed because of inadequate defense you better think again. That is not going to happen. You better start defending your client or you will be held responsible for negligence, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Your Honor," Captain Peterson is looking at the judge and knows that he is on very thin ice at the moment and that Judge Peterson is not kidding. He moves back to his place next to Dr. Neill who seems to know that he is in for a guilty verdict. His try to make amends with Dr. Jordan fell on completely deaf ears. She didn't even meet with him, but let him know through her 'secretary' that they had nothing to talk about.

"Your Honor I have no further questions."

"Dr. Hope you may step down. Commander McAllister do you wish to call another witness?"

"Yes your honor I like to call Sergeant Square to the stand."

Danny is leaning over to Steve who is looking at the Sergeant who is just entering, "I thought I'd be up next?"

"Don't know Danny it's up to McAllister who to call first."

By now the Sergeant is sitting in the witness chair and stated her name and rank.

"Sergeant you were the attending nurse when Captain Neill ordered to restrain Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Is it correct that the Commander hit you prior to this incident?"

"No ma'am. It was an accident. Commander McGarrett was not lucid at that time, he had a very high fever, and thought that he was being attacked, he didn't mean to hit me."

"Did you tell that to your superior?"

"Yes ma'am, I told him that it was my fault, I misjudged the state the commander was in when I tried to administer his medication."

"But none the less Captain Neill ordered you to restrain Commander McGarrett."

"Yes ma'am, we voiced our concern about that since the Commander had a cast on his arm and leg."

"But the restraints were put on anyway?"

"Yes ma'am, Capt Neill put the binders on the broken arm himself and it was clear that he was hurting the patient. We told him so but he wouldn't listen to that."

"What happened next?"

"Commander McGarrett was kind of out of it while the restraints were put on, but when he became aware that he was bound to the bed. . .it's hard to describe ma'am, he went totally berserk. He was screaming and was trying with all he got to get the restraints off, then suddenly he stopped for a minute and started crying and begged us to take them off, but Captain Neill said no. I've never seen anything like it before, but Commander McGarrett seemed to explode, I can't describe it, he was so violently trying to get out of the restraints and screamed so loudly that we actually left the room. I thought Captain Neill left to get some medication to sedate him, but he just left and told us that he would scream himself out at some point."

"What did you do then?"

"We couldn't take it ma'am, Commander McGarrett was screaming his head off, it was horrible. I called Dr. Jordan."

"What happened next?"

"Dr. Jordan was there not five minutes later, she went into the room and I was sure if she takes the restrains off he would attack her for sure, he was so out of it. He was still fighting the restraints with such vehemence even though it was clear that he was in extreme pain by now."

"Did he attack Dr. Jordan?"

"No ma'am."

"Sergeant?"

"Ma'am it was a very private moment and I think it's not right to disclose what happened."

"Sergeant we need to know, please tell us what happened next."

Sergeant Square is looking at Steve and apologizes in advance, he is smiling back at her and so she tells what happened, "Dr. Jordan took the restraints off and Commander McGarrett recognized her right away. He stopped screaming and started to cry, he clung to her, but he was completely inconsolable, he was sobbing and crying out in pain. She ordered some medication to sedate him and after he was asleep we cleaned him up and a short while later his friends and Dr. Hope arrived."

"Did Dr. Neill arrive at any time?"

"Yes after Commander McGarrett was asleep he was confronted by Dr. Jordan. Later he confronted me, he was very angry that I called Captain Jordan. But I told him that I thought that the patient was in danger and that he got hurt by our treatment. I think I did the right thing."

"Yes you did Sergeant. In your opinion was it necessary to restrain the Commander?"

"No ma'am, he was not combative after he got 'rid' of me. He got rather sick from his medication and he was no danger to himself or others ma'am."

"Thank you Sergeant, I have no further questions."

"Captain Peterson?"

"No Your Honor I have no questions for the witness."

"Sergeant you may step down. Cmdr. McAllister?"

"Your Honor I have a written statement by General Post, Captain Neill's CO, in which he states that Captain Neill reported to him that he informed Commander McGarrett and Dr. Jordan about his treatment and that he learned later that he did no such thing. General Post is not available at the moment, he is deployed to the mainland, he would be available for a video conference if his written statement is not sufficient."

"Captain Peterson?"

"Your Honor we accept the written statement."

"Good we take that as exhibit A. You like to call one more witness before we close for today?"

"Yes your honor, I call Detective Danny Williams to the stand."

Danny is looking at his friend who is visibly shaken by the testimony of Sergeant Square, she revealed thing he didn't even know about that morning in the hospital. He can only imagine what a terrible ordeal that must have been for Steve. Danny is almost grateful that his friend can't remember much about the actual time he was restrained, his memories of an earlier experience is hard enough. He squeezes Steve's arm and stands up to take his place as a witness.

"Will you please state your name and tell us what you're doing in Hawaii."

"Detective Danny Williams. I'm with Five-0 the Governor's task force."

"You're Commander McGarrett's partner and second in command, is that correct?"

"Yes that's right."

"You were in charge while the commander was on sick leave?"

"Yes I was."

"Detective would you call Steve McGarrett a close friend?"

"He is my best friend, yes we're close."

"Your daughter calls him Uncle Steve?"

"Yes she does," the mention of his daughter makes Danny smile something he can't prevent whenever he thinks about his daughter.

"So would you say that he is family?"

"Yes absolutely."

"Objection Your Honor to this line of questioning, I don't see where this is taking us," Capt Peterson jumped up from his seat.

"I'm coming to that in a minute Your Honor if you would indulge me a little longer?"

"Make it quick. Overruled."

"Detective I would assume that you 'know' the Commander, knows what he is thinking, what he's feeling?"

"I think I know him as well as he is willing to let me in on his feelings and thoughts. Yes I'm sure I know him fairly well."

"You and his friends were kept away from him during most of his time at Tripler by Captain Neill is that right?"

"Yes, I was even kicked out of the hospital when I tried to see Steve."

"After he woke up were you allowed to see him?"

"No I had to wait more than a day and Captain Dr. Neill had the audacity to tell me it was best for Steve's well being not to see us."

"When you were finally allowed to see your friend, how was he?"

"Distraught; confused; abandoned. No one had told him that we were not allowed to see him. He thought his family had left him alone. He was in pain physically but even more so emotionally. He was kept in the dark about why no one was coming to see him, he was hurting and no one told him anything. They just left him there. . .I'm sorry but it was a shock to see him like that. It hurt to see him in that kind of distress."

"Before you saw Commander McGarrett you talked to Captain Neill?"

"I called him almost every hour, yes I talked to him and he always told me that Steve is doing well. That was a blatant lie, he was so far from doing well as you can get."

"So in your opinion Commander McGarrett was not informed that keeping his family away from him was part of his treatment?"

"No he was never told. If. . .if someone told him anything, then they did a very poor job of it, because Steve had no idea what was going on."

"Thank you Detective Williams, I have no further questions."

"Captain Peterson, you like to question the witness?"

"Yes Your Honor. Detective Williams were you present when Dr. Neill talked to Commander McGarrett?"

"No I was not."

"So you actually don't know what was said?"

"I know that Steve had no idea about. . ."

"Please just answer the question?"

"No I don't know what was said, but. . ."

"Thank you Detective that is all."

"No that is not all. Commander McGarrett was not informed about his treatment and I don't care if Dr. Neill said anything to him, he didn't inform him in a way that he could understand in his state of health."

"Detective I have no further questions for you, thank you."

Danny is looking at Steve and McAllister, he is mad, everyone can see that. Steve is motioning for him to calm down and it obviously helps because he is not saying anything.

"Commander McAllister would you like to redirect?"

"Yes Your Honor I would. Detective why do you think that Commander McGarrett was not informed even though you were not present during those conversations?"

"Because he thought that we were mad at him for something he didn't know, he told me that no one informed him of anything. Commander McGarrett would never lie about something like that, he was absolutely sure that Captain Neill never talked to him about this part of his treatment. And that only means that if the Captain talked to him, Steve never understood any of it. And it is my understanding that a doctor needs to make sure that his patient understands what is happening around him. Steve clearly didn't have a clue."

"Thank you Detective," McAllister is smiling because Danny Williams just didn't only say that Dr. Neill was lying but also that he neglected his duty as a doctor towards his patient. It could not have gone better even if she had planned it.

"Detective you may step down. Commander McAllister do you wish to call another witness?"

"No Your Honor I rest my case."

"Very well we will continue tomorrow with the first witness of the defense. Captain Neill are you prepared to call your first witness in the morning?"

"Yes your honor, I ask to put Commander McGarrett back on the witness list, he is my first and only witness."

"Captain Peterson the Commander is not on the witness list and I'm not prepared to put him back there."

"Your Honor I understand that. But Commander McGarrett is cleared for full duty and he passed his psych evaluation and he is my only witness. Sir he can't have it both ways, either he is fit for duty or he is not. If he is, he is fit to participate in this trial."

The room is deadly quiet after this almost outburst of Capt Peterson, Judge Elder seems to consider his words and looks at Steve and JoJo. They both know that he has no choice but to grant that request, because they all know that Peterson is right, if they like it or not.

"Capt Peterson I will have a very close eye on your course of questioning. Commander McGarrett, you will be the first witness tomorrow at o-nine-hundred. Adjourned."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thanks again for reading. You didn't really think that Steve would get away from testifying that easy, now did you?<strong>_

_**Next up is the conclusion of the Trial.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 37 – The Trial  Steve McGarrett**

**Tuesday (129 days after the trial)**

They can all see it: Steve McGarrett is a wreck. He probably didn't sleep at all last night. It's almost nine a.m. and in only a few minutes he is supposed to take the stand in the court martial against Captain Neill.

Steve is looking at his friends who are here as moral support but that doesn't help him with feeling physically ill just thinking going into the court room. He lay awake all night, he can't remember ever feeling as anxious as right now. He faced brutal criminals, warlords, all kind of armed conflict and he would take any of those incidents in exchange for not being here.

"Steve are you okay," JoJo is addressing him even though she can see that he's clearly not.

"No," his answer is short and very clipped.

"Will you all excuse us for a minute," JoJo leads Steve away from his friends and makes him lean against the wall.


	37. Chapter 37 The Trial  McGarrett

_**Okay here we go this is the conclusion of the Trial, not the story mind you. There are three more chapters after this one. I'm pretty sure some of you won't like my conclusion, let me know about it, I can take it. ;-)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 37 – The Trial  Steve McGarrett**

**Tuesday  
><strong>

They can all see it: Steve McGarrett is a wreck. He probably didn't sleep at all last night. It's almost nine a. m. and in only a few minutes he is supposed to take the stand in the court martial against Captain Neill.

Steve is looking at his friends who are here as moral support but that doesn't help him with feeling physically ill just thinking going into the court room. He lay awake all night, he can't remember ever feeling as anxious as right now. He faced brutal criminals, warlords, all kind of armed conflict and he would take any of those incidents in exchange for not being here.

"Steve are you okay," JoJo is addressing him even though she can see that he's clearly not.

"No," his answer is short and very clipped.

"Will you all excuse us for a minute," JoJo leads Steve away from his friends and makes him lean against the wall.

They can see that he closes his eyes and Doctor Jordan is softly talking to him, a few times he is shaking his head or nods to what she is saying. It looks like he is doing some breathing exercises while JoJo has her right hand over his hand on his chest and her left on his arm. It takes a couple of minutes before Steve looks at her again and actually smiles a little. She was obviously successful in calming him down a bit. After another moment of silent communication they make their way back to the waiting group. Chin and Kono just arrived and the team is now complete.

"You feel better now," Cath is addressing her friend who still looks rather pale and sick.

"Yeah a little, thank you."

They are informed that the trial is about to begin, so they take their seats in the almost empty courtroom. The hearing is not public so only the relevant people are allowed inside. They all sit back down after Judge John Elder takes his place.

"Captain Peterson are you ready to call your first witness?"

"Yes Your Honor I call Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett to the stand."

Steve reluctantly stands up and makes his way over to the witness stand, after swearing to tell the truth and giving his name and rank he sits down. He seems calm and collected and looks for the first time at Captain Neill, who he didn't speak to in over four month. It seems to him that he looks very uneasy, he looks rather nervous and Steve is pretty sure that has nothing to do with him knowing that he lost this trial. Something is up with him but Steve has no idea what that might be.

"Commander McGarrett I like to ask you some questions about the night at the hospital when Captain Neill felt is necessary to restrain you to your bed."

Steve is not saying anything just looks at Capt Peterson.

"Do you remember hitting Sergeant Square?"

"No I don't," Steve grabs the armrest of the chair he is sitting in, he feels slightly dizzy and nausea is rolling over him in waves. He was not prepared to feel this sick so fast, he tries to concentrate on what Capt Peterson is saying; he tries to listen to him past the rolling sensation of his sensible stomach. His chest hurts and he is not sure if it's from his cracked breastbone or from the beginning of the panic attack he is sure to get. He deliberately didn't take his pain meds, he thought the pain might give him something to concentrate on. So far it's only giving him pain and not the desired distraction.

"Commander will you answer the question please?"

"I'm sorry, what was the question," Steve is focusing back on the defense attorney who obviously asked him a question. But the pain in his chest is making it hard to concentrate, every breath he takes hurts by now and he puts his right hand over his fractured sternum. He feels like he is only a few moments from the inevitable panic attack.

"STOP THIS," everyone looks at Captain Neill who jumped up from his chair, even Steve snaps out of his haze and looks at him. "Your Honor may I speak up please?"

"Captain Neill what is this about," Judge Elder doesn't look amused.

"Sir I like to change my plea to guilty Your Honor," Capt Neill is looking at Steve while he says that.

"Your Honor can I have a word with my client," Capt Peterson looks like he's near a stroke by the outburst of this client.

"No you may not. Captain Neill are you aware that your plea of guilty will waive any appeal and that I will rule the sentence right away?"

"Yes Your Honor."

"So then I ask you again, you plead guilty to all charges?"

"Your Honor I never meant to hurt the Commander, I only had his best interest in mind. But I see now that my judgment was wrong and that I am guilty of what I'm charged with. I am sorry for what I think was right, I am sorry that I caused so much harm to my patient and I can't allow to bring more harm to him. I'm ready to pay the consequences for my actions. Your Honor I like to change my plea to guilty."

His defense lawyer sits down and is just shaking his head. He knows that his client will go away into the brig for quite a while.

"Very well Captain Neill, Commander you may step down from the witness stand." Judge Elder is looking at Steve who gingerly stands up, hand still firmly on his aching chest, everyone can see that he is hurting big time. _Probably didn't take his pain meds_, Captain Elder lightly shakes his head at the stupidity of this young man. He now looks over to Capt Neill who also looks at Steve and Judge Elder sees concern in his gaze. It is clear to him that Neill spoke up because he knew what would happen to Steve if the questioning would go on. Judge Elder is still not clear on what Capt Peterson hoped to accomplish by putting McGarrett in the stand but he has to admire Neill for speaking up and putting an end to it. Of course that doesn't change the fact that he did a lot of wrong things in the past that seriously hurt one of his patients. He watches how Steve sits down and he can see how his friends are embracing him with their love and support even though they're all staying in their places. He can only smile at that amazing group of people. He is sure that McGarrett feels safe among them and will calm down soon, Judge Elder was worried about him and was ready to intervene, but Neill was a little bit faster than he was.

"Captain Neill before I speak my ruling, I'd like to give you and Commander McAllister the chance to say something about it. Commander you like to begin?"

"Thank you Your Honor. Captain Neill admitted to being guilty of all charges, Sir I like to remind you of the serious consequences for Commander McGarrett who is still suffering from injuries he sustained while in the care of Captain Neill. Captain Neill's disrespect of his oath as an officer and a doctor had consequences none of us can fully understand. I'm not talking about the simple facts that he disobeyed an order; that he lied to his superior, his colleague and his patient, I'm talking about what his misuse of power causes his patient. Not just Commander McGarrett was affected by this but also his family and friends. I know that the suffering they had to endure after almost losing their friend has no ruling in court. But Your Honor it has a big ruling in my book, Captain Neill caused Commander McGarrett great emotional and physical stress, he is the reason that his friends couldn't see him for over a week. Captain Neill created an unhealthy environment where even his staff was uneasy about working with him. I think this disrespect for his patient should play a factor in your ruling, I think Commander McGarrett deserves some justice for what he had to endure while in the care of Captain Neill. Something no one should be subjected to, certainly not someone so severely injured as the Commander. Your Honor I ask for a sentencing of twelve month confinement, dishonorable discharge, and pay back of all costs of the education he received by the Army. Thank you Your Honor."

"Captain Peterson?"

"Your Honor my client wishes to speak for himself."

"Very well, Captain Neill."

"Thank you Your Honor. I made a mistake, a few actually. Sir I never lied to my superior, I did talk to Commander McGarrett about his treatment, but my mistake was that I didn't make sure that he understood it. That was my biggest mistake, I misjudged his awareness. And I can't even begin to tell how sorry I am about that. I never meant him any harm, I swear I thought I did the right thing by shielding him from his friends and keeping him in a quiet environment. I misjudged him again, I didn't consider how very important his friends are for his well-being. I am deeply sorry for the pain I caused him, I should never have restrained him, I see that now, I should have listened to my staff. But I didn't; that was an unforgivable mistake. I should be punished for my wrongdoing Your Honor but I know that I can be of service to the Army. I know that I made mistakes, but Your Honor I learned from them and I hope that you will give me the chance to do better. I know that no punishment will erase the pain I caused but I'm ready to accept anything you see fit for my mistakes. Thank you Your Honor."

Judge Elder is looking for a long moment at Captain Neill but can only see the sincerity in his eyes. He always hated it when he has the future of a person in his hands, he loves to be a judge but the ruling is always very hard on him, "Captain Neill I believe that you didn't lie do your superiors knowingly that you truly believed to have informed the Commander. However you are guilty of disobeying an order and causing bodily harm to one of your patients. Two broken bones are serious injuries even though I don't see any intent behind your actions. Your actions today in court show me that you indeed have the best interest of Commander McGarrett in mind; your interruption of his questioning plays a huge factor in my ruling. I sentence you to twelve months confinement but suspend the sentence on a probation time of three years, reducing of your pay by one-third for twelve months, after your six-month-tour in Afghanistan you will be stationed at Bethesda where you will work ten hours a week outside your work at a free clinic during your probation time. We are adjourned."

H50 – H50 – H50

They're all looking at Steve like they need his confirmation that this ruling is okay before they can let out the breath they're all holding. Steve looks at them and knows what they are thinking, probably the same as him, _is this really over now_? He manages a small smile and actually has to laugh at the suddenly relaxed faces of his friends. He knows that they are really worried about him and that they all know how damn close he came to a full blown panic attack just a few minutes ago. He thought that he would be embarrassed about it, but he is not, he only feels loved and protected and is willing to share his fears with his friends. He knows without a doubt that they won't make fun of him or think any less of him because of his problem.

"Excuse me for a minute," Steve makes his way out of the circle his friends have built around him and goes over to where Captain Neill is still standing with his lawyer. "Captain Neill can I have a minute?"

"Yes Sir of course," Neill is looking at Steve, surprise clearly written on his face.

"I like to thank you for what you did today," Steve extends his hand towards Captain Neill who takes it with a smile on his face.

"I'm truly sorry for what I caused Sir, please believe me that I meant no harm by it," Captain Neill tries to show how deeply sorry he is for all the heartache he caused, of course he knows that no words can ease the suffering the commander had to endure.

"I know that Captain. I hope you learned something from all of this," Steve is looking at his former doctor.

"Yes Sir I did, thank you Sir and I hope that you'll be better soon."

"Thank you Captain. Take care on your deployment."

They shake hands again and Steve goes back to his waiting friends.

"What was that all about, how could you just go and forgive that man," Cath is beside herself and can't believe that Steve actually made his peace with Captain Neill. One look around her shows that his friends completely back her up with that question.

"I know you're all really mad at Captain Neill, I can understand that. He caused you a lot of pain and stress. I get that believe me I do, but I need to put this behind me. I can't move on before I make my peace with what happened. I know that Captain Neill didn't hurt me on purpose. Please Danny let me finish, I know you're very upset with him and want do deck him and I thank you for that," Steve smiles at his friend, "But I need to deal with what happened at the hospital my way and to do that I need to stop carrying him with me all the time. I need to stop thinking about him and besides I really do know that he never meant to hurt me or any of you. I don't ask you to forgive him, you don't have to do that, but I did. Besides what he did today was something I will never forget and for what I'm very grateful."

"What he did today? Are you kidding me? He finally owned up for what he did, he didn't do it for you, that selfish SOB did that purely for himself. How dare you just go and forget about it? That man got away way too easy."

Steve gets slightly angry that he needs to defend his actions, "Danny first of all you don't know that and second I don't care. All I care is that he did stand up and stopped the questioning. Danny I was only seconds from a total panic, I couldn't breathe, I would have totally lost it in the next minute. And quite frankly I don't need your or the approval of any of you for what I did and I don't appreciate the fact that I need to defend myself here. Think what you want about him but you have no idea how I felt up there and how grateful I am for his interruption. You can keep being mad at him for however long you want, but I won't. Don't look at me like that. What now you're mad at me?"

"You were not the only one who got hurt by him; we had a pretty rough week because of him too. And I'm pretty sure none of us is going to forget that any time soon. So forgive me if I'm mad because my friend goes and gives that man salvation for his crimes," Danny is obviously fuming.

Steve looks at his friends and is kind of speechless, what he wants to do is just walk out of the courtroom and let them stand there. But that is not what he's going to do again in this lifetime, he walked out on his friends once and that was one time too many, he swore himself never to run again. Even though he really wants to, his chest is killing him and every breath is by now a little struggle and he wishes he could just lay down for a few minutes. What a stupid idea it was not to take his pain meds this morning, now he has to pay the price for it.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Steve's voice is deadly quiet and very controlled. "I'm sorry you feel that I need to ask you first how I'm going to handle my problems. If I'm going to ask anyone it would be JoJo, but right now I'm not even going to do that. This is MY decision and I don't care if any of you ever forgive him or not. You want to be mad at me? Fine do that, I don't care. I understand that my being injured was hard on all of you and I'm sorry that you had to go through that. But I'm the one who had to live with those injuries, I'm the one who still has to live with them, I'm the one who still gets a fucking headache every day, I'm the one who still can't remember a lot of the past, I'm the one who wakes up at night by a freaking nightmare and I'm the one who has to deal with all this crap. So don't tell me you had a rough week and are mad at me for trying to go on with my life."

By the end of his speech Steve is not quiet and controlled anymore; he is out of breath and presses his hand on his chest to try to lighten the pain at least a little. Pain that is by now so severe that he can't quite manage to keep the groan that slips out silent.

"Steve you all right," JoJo is looking worriedly at him, she kept quiet until now. She thinks that they need to 'fight' this out on their own, a confrontation was long overdue. The tension of the last weeks was building even though she knows that Steve and Danny talked most of it out while out at sea. She knows that Danny is not mad at Steve and Steve is not mad at Danny, but they never talked about what they all went through while Steve was fighting for his life in the hospital and Captain Neill only added to that stress.

"I'll be fine, skipped the meds this morning, thought it might be a good distraction," he tries to grin at her but fails pretty miserably.

"You're an idiot Steve."

"Thanks Danny. Can we please stop arguing and get out of here?"

"Do you have the pills with you," JoJo is looking at Steve who is slowly making his way out of the courtroom together with his friends who are now looking more concerned than mad.

"No and you can all stop looking at me like that, I'm not going to break in half. I'm fine, it just really hurts, stop worrying it's just a bruise," he is addressing not just JoJo but also the rest of the group, "And don't think this conversation is over, it's not."

"Stop talking before you pass out on us, you're wheezing again. You need us to stop," Danny moves a little closer to his friend, just in case.

Steve is grinning at Danny of course he knows what he's doing he is again in mother-hen-mode. Something Steve finds annoying but also very endearing, "Nah I'm good."

"Sure you are. Listen Steve I didn't mean to offend you it just took me by surprise that you were ready to forgive him. You have every right to decide whatever you think is right."

"I know. I didn't mean to go off on all of you like that, I just think it's none of your business but I guess I'm somewhat wrong about that. Sorry I didn't mean to belittle your suffering by Neill and of course you can still hate him if you like."

"I think emotions are flying high about Doctor Neill and we should all calm down about it. I'm sure all of you need to deal with your issues with him at some point. Steve already did that and I'm sure all of you are not mad at him for making his peace with Doctor Neill. It's fine if you're not ready to do that or if you never will be," Dr. Jordan is looking at them and can see that they seem to accept her words, "Come on let's get Steve some meds and I'm sure you all have some work to do. Cath do you need to go to the base?"

"Yeah I have to report to duty after the trial. Guess I have to head over there," she didn't know that the trial would be cut this short. She is a little reluctant to leave it seems to her that Steve is still a little mad at her for addressing him so harshly a few minutes ago. They need to work that out later. "I call you later okay, I don't know when I'll be home," she kisses Steve good buy and whispers a 'love you' in his ear.

He looks after her and is not sure if he's still mad at her or not.

"Steve," JoJo is touching his arm to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Can you meet me tomorrow around seventeen hundred?"

"No sorry, I'm having an important meeting then. I'll call you later for an appointment okay?"

They have by now reached their cars and Steve stops at the passenger site of Danny's silver Camaro, he knows that there is no way that Danny will let him drive.

"Okay call me but I'd like to see you this week Steve. Friday at the latest."

"I'll call you from the office JoJo. I promise."

"Good. Danny take care of him please. Kono, Chin it was good to see you again," Dr. Jordan waves her good bye and the three Five-0 wonder what the look Steve is sending after her means.

"Guys we see you in a bit at HQ, you swing by Steve's to get the meds," Chin is looking at his boss for an answer.

"Sorry Chin I wasn't listening, what?"

"I said 'are you going by your house for your pills'?"

"No we don't need to I have some in the office. See you in a bit," Steve gingerly sits down in the passenger seat and is actually glad to be off his feet for a few minutes.

Danny eases into the moving traffic and throws a look Steve's way who's leaning his head against the headrest, "I guess I don't need to ask if you want to get home and rest? Right thought so." The look Steve just gave him is answer enough.

"Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"You still mad at me?"

"I was never mad at you."

"Danny."

"Okay maybe I was a little mad at you," Steve has to smile at that, "I just never thought that you would just go and let him off the hook like that. Steve I really hate that guy, I can't really explain it. I don't want anything to happen to him, God no, but I don't want to forgive him. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah Danny I know what you mean. You know I do know how hard it is for you to see me getting hurt. Danny I know that and I know that you suffered in the last few months just as much as I did. But Danny I'm not telling you to forgive anyone but you can't tell me how to handle Doctor Neill either. My decision has nothing to do with you and I hope you understand that I don't want to influence you in any way. Whatever you decide with Neill is fine by me, I hope you know that?"

"I kind of do but you forgiving him, that's making us looking pretty stupid holding a grudge like that. I mean if YOU'RE willing to get past him who are we to say anything about that, you know?"

"Yeah. So we're good," Steve is looking at his friend, he really doesn't want to fight with him anymore he just wants to put all his unease and doubts behind him. He wants his best friend back and he knows that Danny was always there that he himself made the friendship a bit strained in the last weeks.

"We're good Steve, we always were, you know that."

"Yeah I know. Thank you Danny," Steve hopes that Danny knows that he is not thanking him for right now but for his friendship in general.

They have by now reached their usual parking space and before Steve can get out Danny grabs his arm, "You need to talk to Cath tonight. She didn't mean it like that. Steve I know you, don't screw this up, Cath is the best thing that ever happened to you. Whatever you feel right now about her choice of words back in court, remember that woman loves you deeply. Don't start to doubt that."

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? What are you talking about?"

"You of all people deserve the love that woman is giving you, I know that you're thinking that you're not good enough for her. It started with your stupid phone call before the raid and today there was this look when she left. Don't give me that face, Steve you're an open book to me. Why do you feel that way all of a sudden and why don't you want to meet with JoJo," Danny almost laughs out loud at the deer-caught-in-the-headlights-look Steve is just sporting.

"I can't talk about it right now."

"Don't give me that Steven. . ."

"No Danny that's not it, I mean literally I can't talk. I have trouble breathing, can we get inside please, I need to take some pills first, then we can talk," Steve leans his head back, presses his palm against his breastbone and bites his lower lip to get past the agonizing pain in his chest that threatens to overwhelm him with every breath he takes. The short ride over from the courthouse didn't really help matters.

"Damn, Steve I forgot," Danny is at the passenger site and helps his friend out of the car, he is swaying dangerously but finds his balance after a short moment, "You okay?"

"Yeah thanks."

It takes them only a few minutes to reach their offices and they actually make it there before Chin and Kono are back. They make their way into Steve's office where he grabs his bottle of pills out of the drawer and shakes two in the palm of his hand. Danny gives him a bottle of water and looks at his friend who is still looking at the pills in his hand.

"What's the matter?"

"They don't have a stamp."

"Huh?"

"Mark gave them to me last week, I have a bottle here and at home. See this, they have a stamp on it, but only one of them," Steve shows Danny the tiny little stamp on the dark red capsule.

"You mean this little dot? That's a stamp?"

"It's a batch number. This is a controlled substance Danny, they're not OTC, every capsule has a batch number so you can trace every pill."

"You mean like with morphine?"

"Yeah like that but they're not narcotics," Steve sits down behind his desk and looks back up at Danny. "Danny can you get the first aid kit please, there should be something in it I can take." While talking he shakes the rest of the pills on his desk and sorts them in with and without stamp on it. Done with that he leans back and rubs his palm over his hurting sternum, the pain is by now a constant reminder of the cracked bone. It feels like a knife is sticking in it and with every breath it gets twisted a little. The broken bone alone wouldn't hurt so badly, but the bullet caused some very deep bruising and he is very lucky that he didn't bruise his heart-muscle as well. When he looked in the mirror the first time after he was released from the hospital he was actually a little alarmed by the deep coloring of the enormous bruise on his chest. The bruise is not a superficial one but goes deep into the tissue and that's what hurts so much.

Danny is back with their field-medical-kit, the one Steve 'borrowed' from the Navy. "We have Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Aspirin, Percocet wow definitely NOT for you and Vicodin, where did you get all these? Oh and some syringes I can't even name. Steve they are prescription drugs you can't just take them."

"I won't just give me some Advil. We need to flush the Percocet and the Vicodin," Steve takes the two green liquid gel caps and swallows them with some water. "Look at this Danny most of them are without a stamp we need to get them analyzed ."

"What are you guys doing," Chin and Kono finally arrive.

"Kono can you please bag the pills and the bottle and get it to Charlie, I like to know if any fingerprints are on it and what's in them."

"You think they were tampered with," Kono is carefully putting all of the pills and the bottle in an evidence bag.

"Yeah I think so, Chin can you check the security tapes. I put the pills here on Friday before we went to court after that I always used the ones from home."

"Okay will do," with that he is on his way, Kono already left to meet with Charlie Fong.

Steve leans back and waits for the pills to take some effect, he knows that they are not strong enough to do that much, but they will at least take the edge off.

"You want me to take you to see Mark?"

"No Danny thanks it's okay I'll manage."

"Okay. Tell me if it gets too bad and we swing by your house or go see Dr. Hope, no need for you to suffer."

"Will do Danny."

"Good. NOW tell me what your important meeting is tomorrow that you can't see JoJo."

"I can't tell you Danny, it's a secret meeting," Steve is grinning at his friend and can see how the wheels are turning until he finally gets it.

"Can you do that, I mean you're hurt, Grace would understand if you can't go swimming with her."

"I have to go Danny it's her final lesson and she's getting her 'license'. Your daughter is like a fish in the water, I'm telling you she has some serious talent there and she loves it."

"She loves it because of you, you make it so much fun for her. I can see how much she loves to be in the ocean with you when we're at your house. When you're with her she's not afraid of anything, last year she was terrified of the water, probably my doing because I hate it so much. But since you took her into the water the first time, she is telling me how great it is. Now she even learns to surf."

"I heard you're not doing so bad yourself."

"Nah don't listen to that, I'm really bad at it, I suck."

"I don't believe that Danny, I saw you surfing, you're doing good. You're having fun doing it?"

"No! No I don't. Well not really, I mean you know, it's Hawaii and wet and sand everywhere, no I'm not having fun, I hate every minute of it," but he has a hard time keeping the grin off his face.

"We'll make an islander out of you soon Danno, you just wait."

"Yeah dream on babe, not gonna happen."

"We'll see," Steve is laughing at his friend who is leaving to answer his ringing phone. He picks up his own phone to call JoJo with a smile on his face.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all for reading!<br>**_

_**So did you like it, did Neill get off too easy, too hard? You didn't really think I would put Steve through a break-down in court, did you? Hey I'm not that mean, sorry but I couldn't do that to Steve so Neill had to speak up to put an end to it. Besides a public episode like that would have serious consequences for Steve's career with the Navy and Five-0 and quite frankly his psychological problems should stay between him and his friends.**_

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><p><em><strong>So here is the sneak peek into the next chapter:<strong>_

**Chapter 38 - Wrap up**

Chin Ho Kelly is watching his boss from across his office, Steve's on the phone and laughs. Not that Steve McGarrett is not having a nice smile which he actually uses from time to time and it's not like that Steve doesn't know how to laugh. But Chin never saw him laughing like this in all the time he knows him, he is in fact laughing so hard that he is almost double over behind his desk, probably from pain that it causes on his broken breastbone. He is just debating to go over and rescue him from himself when Steve shakes his head, calms down, smiles and says a few words before he puts the phone down.

Chin can see that Steve leans back still with a fond smile on his face while gently rubbing his surely aching chest. Chin's gaze wanders over to Danny's office where he can see his colleague sitting behind his desk; a frown on his face that is clearly directed Steve's way. Chin wonders what that is all about.


	38. Chapter 38 Wrap up

_**Thanks again for all your feedback, it really helps me to improve my writing. So please tell me what's working for you and what's not. I greatly appreciate all your reviews and if you don't feel comfortable to leave a review for all to see just send me a pm.**_

_**Now on with the story.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 38 - Wrap up<strong>

Chin Ho Kelly is watching his boss from across his office, Steve's on the phone and laughs. Not that Steve McGarrett is not having a nice smile which he actually uses from time to time and it's not like that Steve doesn't know how to laugh. But Chin never saw him laughing like this in all the time he knows him, he is in fact laughing so hard that he's almost doubled over behind his desk, probably from pain that it causes on his broken breastbone. He is just debating to go over and rescue him from himself when Steve shakes his head, calms down, smiles and says a few words before he puts the phone down.

Chin can see that Steve leans back still with a fond smile on his face while gently rubbing his surely aching chest. Chin's gaze wanders over to Danny's office where he can see his colleague sitting behind his desk; a frown on his face that is clearly directed Steve's way. Chin wonders what that is all about.

He looks back at Steve and asks himself what had his friend in stitches, he never laughed with them like that. Sure he loosened up a lot since they came together to form Five-0 and when they are together at Steve's or at a team-dinner there is laughter, but Steve is always a little guarded. Not so much in the presence of Danny or Catherine he assumes, Chin knows that Steve allows Danny to see glimpses of the real Steve. He wonders if that a few moments ago was the real Steve, if so he hopes to see him more often.

"It suits him, don't you think," Kono is suddenly standing in front of him, he didn't even notice that she entered his office.

"What?"

"Steve. Laughing like that, it suits him. Any idea who that was on the phone?"

"No. Did Charlie give you anything on the pills?"

"No not yet, he calls as soon as he knows anything. Why is Danny looking so grim?"

"I don't know. Ever since Steve was on the phone he is frowning at him. No idea what's gotten into him. Kono I'm done with the footage from Friday and half of Saturday can you start with Sunday?"

"Yeah sure, guess we only need to look at the times neither of us was here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay on it."

Chin looks after his cousin and glances back to his leader who is still sitting at his desk, head against the back of the chair and it looks like he's asleep. Stubborn SOB, Chin knows how much he is hurting, he should be at home resting, well at least he changed out of his uniform and is back in more comfortable clothes. Chin thinks back to a few years ago when he lost control over his bike and made a perfect swan dive over the handle bar. He survived the impact onto the ground without any injury but unfortunately his bike landed very painfully on him and he broke two ribs and his breastbone in the process. He knows perfectly well how very painful every movement is; it can get to the point where even breathing becomes a challenge. He has seen the bruises on Steve's chest and knows that those are not a laughing matter.

Shaking his head at his stubborn friend he focuses back on the surveillance tape to see if someone was bold enough to enter HQ and temper with Steve's medication.

H50 – H50 – H50

"So who was that on the phone," Danny is asking after he casually walks into his partner's office.

"What," Steve actually jumps a little by Danny's voice he was just starting to doze off. His right hand finds his way back to his chest accompanied by a little groan, the sudden movement caused the pain to flare up again.

"You know that's it, I'm taking you home Steve. You need to lay down and you need to take some proper medication. Come on."

"No I'm fine Danny," Danny's snorting doesn't deter Steve one bit, "I'll go home in a few hours okay? I can't take anything else right now anyway, I just took two pain pills, I've to wait a few hours. I'm good Danny relax."

"I'm taking you home after lunch, no arguments," Danny is looking at his partner, daring him to argue that point, but to his surprise he agrees.

"Fine, after lunch. I could use some sleep, didn't get much last night," Steve looks at his friend and knows that he doesn't need to elaborate on why he didn't sleep much during the night.

"Okay now that's settled, who was on the phone and had you laughing so hard? I've never seen you laughing like that."

Steve looks at his friend in surprise, that sounded almost like an accusation, "Jenny, Carl Jennings called to see if he could come by tomorrow. I told him that's okay, he'll come by around eleven, that okay with you?"

"Yeah sure why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know Danny you seem kind of wary about him. I really like you to meet him."

"Yeah well the last Navy buddy of yours we met, that didn't turn out so well. Maybe I'm a little reluctant to meet more guys like Nick Taylor you know."

Steve is looking at his friend wide eyed, that was not what he expected, "Nick was a friend out of necessity, we fought together, he served under me, we had each other's back. He was not a friend I hung out with socially, he was not my partner. Jenny is, he was my 'partner' for many years, we went through a lot together, we did 'hang' out socially, I was at his wedding. His first twins are named after me, hell I introduced him to his wife. He is NOTHING like Nick," Steve looks at his friend and softly adds, "he's a little like you Danny."

"Only a little?"

"Yeah well he doesn't have your big mouth, or the hand gestures, or the hair," he now openly grins at his friend. It suddenly dawns on Steve that Danny might feel jealous or even threatened by that new guy, something Steve finds hilarious. By now Danny should know that he will always be Steve's first choice in any regard, partner or friend. "Danny I'm sure you'll like him and I can assure you that he will watch my back when you can't. I promise."

"Good. So he knows stories about you?"

"What? I'm not going to leave you two alone for a minute," Steve looks in mock horror at his friend when it becomes clear that a plan is already forming in his partner's brain.

Before Danny can reply they get interrupted by Chin, "We're done with the video files, sorry Steve nothing on it. The alarm was not tripped or off at any time. There was no one in the office."

"Kono you heard back from Fong yet?"

"No boss, you want me to call him?"

"No let's give him some more time. Maybe I was wrong and it's just a glitch with the stamping," Steve is suddenly not so sure about the whole incident.

Kono's phone is ringing and the touch of a smile on her face lets them all know it's Charlie Fong on the phone. "Charlie did you find something?" She is listening for a few seconds and ends the call. "There are only your prints on the bottle Steve, he found a partial print on one of the capsules. All of them contain the same, 10 mg of Oxycodone each. Boss that amount would have knocked you out for sure."

"One mg would do the trick. I don't understand this, why go through all that trouble, I mean if someone wants to kill me why not putting a drug in it that would do it for sure. I mean Oxycodone 'only' causes an allergic reaction that in itself is not lethal."

"But for you it can be," Danny reminds him.

"Yes, but there is no guarantee that I would die from it."

"Boss maybe someone doesn't want to kill you, maybe this really is just an honest mistake by the pharmacy," Kono shudders at the thought that someone could be so cruel to want to see her boss experiencing another anaphylactic shock, "Charlie is sending over the partial print but says it's not enough to find a match in the database, but I'll try it anyway."

"You guys can go see if anything pops up here, maybe someone saw something out of the ordinary while we were gone. I mean it's a long shot but who knows. Steve you and I should go see Dr. Hope you can barely stand upright, you don't look so good and you need something for the pain you're in."

"Okay fine," Steve laughs at the surprised look on Danny's face.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve didn't put up much of a fight to see his doctor again, he knows that Danny is right he has some trouble breathing and the pain was getting worse. He should not feel this bad from a bruise and a not even really broken sternum. Mark is concerned to see Steve in such pain and he insists on another exam which Steve endures under protest. Since he's at the hospital the specialist for his ear also takes a look at his injury and declares that the tear is not more healed than last week and that he would not be allowed to fly in the next four weeks. Which means his tour of duty is off the table for now.

Mark's back with Steve's x-rays and doesn't look happy at all, "Steve did you fall or get hit in the last 48 hours," he is looking at the x-ray and shakes his head.

"Why?"

"Because your breastbone is no longer cracked but is broken through, what did you do," he very sternly looks at his patient.

"Nothing, I did nothing."

"Shit. This is my fault," Danny looks first at Steve and then at Dr. Hope.

"What are you talking about Danny?"

"Sunday Steve. Remember I knocked you on your ass," he is now addressing Dr. Hope, "I hit him with a baseball and he fell on his back he was out for a few seconds."

"I was not out, it just knocked the wind out of me. I was NOT unconscious."

"No you were not, but you were pretty out of it for a few seconds Steve."

"I was fine after a minute Mark, really it didn't even hurt much."

"Yeah well that might be, but the fact remains your sternum is broken through. If it happened back then or not is hard to tell. Maybe it got a little worse by the fall and you moved wrong in your sleep, who knows. Fact is you got another broken bone. Steve you need to take it easy for a while, no running, jumping, fighting or heavy lifting. Take your pain meds and you should be fine. BUT come back here immediately if you experience any shortness of breath or a different kind of chest pain."

"What about swimming?"

"If it's not too painful you can do that, I have nothing against that as long as you don't dive. Steve you can do anything as long as you don't experience severe pain, that would mean you aggravate the injury and you should stop whatever you're doing. No real restrictions but one, no impact on your chest by whatever. Hitting, falling or pressure on it is out. You got that?"

"Got it."

"Good now go and I want to see you next week. Without a new injury," he is smiling at his patient while he gives him a shot for the pain and a new prescription for some pills for later.

They say their good bye and are back on their way to HQ, again with Danny behind the wheel.

"Steve I'm really sorry."

"Danny stop it, you didn't hurt me. I WAS fine Sunday and yesterday, you didn't do anything. It started to get bad this morning in the shower. I didn't take anything for it and it got worse in court. You are not at fault."

"You sure?"

"Yes Danny I'm sure. The bone was almost completely broken anyway, don't worry, Mark said I'll be fine."

"Yeah and he also said you need to rest."

"No he didn't, he didn't use the word rest, he said to take it easy and that I could do anything I feel up to," Steve is very smugly smiling at his friend. Shortly after the shot Mark gave him he felt a lot better, right now he is not in pain at all.

"What the heck was in that shot?"

"The good stuff Danny."

"Yeah I can see that," Danny has to smile when he sees the big goofy grin on his partner's face, Mark obviously doped him up pretty good. Danny just hopes he's not falling asleep, it's no fun to haul the freakishly tall SEAL out of the car. But it looks like the drug has the opposite effect.

"Danny you want to have dinner with us tonight? I wanted to take Cath out, but I think we should make a team dinner out of it, we could ask Rachel if she and Grace want to come too, I know Stan is out of town and maybe she would like to go out. You know we should ask Charlie and Kono too, don't you think those two would be great together, of course if we're all going in pairs we need to find someone for Chin, you think Malia would go even though Kono is there too, I mean they are not on the best terms, but maybe we could smooth the waves a little for them, hmm do you know anyone who would go out with Max? That will be a tough one to sell - what are you laughing at," Steve is looking slightly irritated at his friend.

"Wow Steven I think you just used up your amount of words for the rest of the month. You really are a chatter box when on drugs. And since when are you running the love boat?"

"Sorry," Steve sheepishly grins at his partner.

"No that's fine and I would love to have dinner with you guys. I'll ask Rachel and you talk to the other guys," he is smiling back at Steve.

"Okay good. So you have an idea about Max. . ."

At some point Danny tries to blend Steve's babbling out and wonders if Steve must feel like this when he starts to talk about something. Well he hopes not, "Hey Danny are you listening?"

"Yes Steven I'm listening to every word," that didn't sound very convincing.

"Sure you are, you know we should see what the relationship between Jameson and Ferris is."

"Why do you suddenly think about Harper Ferris, you never met her before the night at the Hilton, right?"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. I don't know she just popped into my head, it's just a feeling, can't explain it. Danny she made me really uncomfortable, you know I hate it when women look at me like that."

"Like what Steve?"

"Like they want to undress me right there on the spot, like I'm a piece of meat they can unwrap. I'm not an object you know," Steve seems rather upset about that.

"Are you serious Steve? Men do it all the time."

"What? Undress me," is his amused reply.

"I'm sure there are some guys who wouldn't mind getting you undressed," Danny has to laugh at the face Steve is just sporting, "but that is not what I'm talking about. Men. You know you and me, we do it all the time. You never saw a woman and mentally undressed her?"

"What am I? Sixteen?"

Danny is looking at his friend, trying to figure out if he's serious or not, but the smirk in his eyes gives him away, "See it's just the same, they don't mean anything by it. You should be flattered. I am, well okay not about the undressing part but that they are interested in me and find me attractive."

"They are not interested in me, they only want my body."

"No Steve that's not true, don't underestimate women, the body may be what attracts them first, but your mind and soul is what keeps them interested."

"Mind and soul, huh? You my friend were in the wrong section of the library again," he is now openly grinning at his friend.

"No no Steven it's the section you should visit once in a while, it would help you understand women better."

"Oh thanks but I understand MY woman very well."

"Your woman? Well I think Mark should dope you up more often you're more fun this way."

"Very funny Danny. I'll shut up now."

"Fine."

"You know Danny, did you ever think about. . ."

Danny laughs at his friend who doesn't seem to mind in the least and keeps talking until they finally reach HQ.

"Steve I'm telling you if this is the real you, we wouldn't survive another car ride, so I hope you're all talked out now," Danny is looking at Steve who is opening his mouth to say something but closes it without uttering a word. "Good."

They make their way inside and are greeted by Chin, "I'm done with checking all the video files of HQ and I asked my way around HQ, I'm sorry but I came up empty. There is just nothing there."

"Chin can you please find out about Harper Ferris and her relation to Governor Jameson?"

"Harper Ferris is that the woman from the Hilton who sent you that card?"

"Yeah."

"You think she has something to do with this?"

"I don't know Chin. I wanted to check into her for a while now, but I always forgot it didn't seem important somehow. I just thought about it today."

"All right I'll go right on it."

"Kono, anything on the partial print?"

"No boss sorry."

"If you had a print to compare it to would that work?"

"Maybe. It's really just a very small part of a print, but if we would have the full print it might work."

"Okay so we just need to find the right print," Steve looks at her.

"Yeah, you have someone in mind?"

"No not really, just thinking."

"Oh okay then. Boss I'm done with my reports about Vitali, they are on your desk and need your approval."

"Good I look them over. Kono did you talk to NCIS, do they need to interview Danny or me?"

"No boss they've closed their investigation. They think that with the take down of Vitali the weapons ring is also busted. They were investigation a connection to one of the bases on the island but couldn't find any proof for a connection to Vitali. One of their agents told me that they were investigating a Petty Officer working at one of the storage facilities for quite a while now, but still don't have enough evidence to bust him."

"They think Vitali got some of his weapons from the Armed Forces?"

"Yeah that's what he said."

"They're not looking into it any further?"

"He wouldn't say but I got the impression that they are not giving up entirely. He said we should ask the liaisons officer who will come by at three p. m. today."

"Oh really," Steve can't quite keep the smile off his face.

"Wipe that smile off your face, she's not coming to see you," Danny is telling him with a grin.

"Sure she is, but you can join us if you like."

"Oh how gracious of you. Kono did you find anything out about Steve's gun that was used in the shooting with HPD?"

"Yes actually I did. Now that we have the bullets from it I ran a trace to see if I could find any matches in any shootings. And there was one. In 2010 the gun was used in a hostage situation in Los Angeles. A police officer was shot with your weapon, he's okay. The shooter was identified as Marcus Wheeler, but he escaped and was never to be seen."

Steve closes his eyes against the onslaught of images that are assaulting his brain. The name triggered his memory and finally it's all coming back; all the missing pieces he was so desperate to find the last few month are coming back to him in one big rush. It's too much, too violent and too fast all at once, he can't breathe and can't control the avalanche of images that seem to swallow him. He pitches forward, stumbles and impacts with the smart table, he doesn't even register the pain of hitting the table. He crumbles to the floor right in front of his friends who are too shocked to act in time.

Next thing he knows he's lying on the couch in Danny's office a very concerned looking Danny hovering over him and Chin and Kono a step behind him.

"You with us again?"

"Yeah I'm good," Steve tries to get into a sitting position, "ah damn." His hand flies to his chest when a stabbing pain forces him to lay back down.

"Don't get up, you crashed onto the smart table, Chin's not very happy with you. You smashed his toy," Danny is gently pushing him back down before he can try to get up again. "Care to tell us what happened?"

"I remember."

"Remember what?"

"Everything. Everything I couldn't get access to flushed right back into my brain, it was overwhelming. I couldn't breathe it were so many images Danny, it felt like I was drowning in them. Guess it was a little too much all at once, sorry I scared you."

"You feel okay now?"

"Yeah I feel fine," Steve is looking at Chin and Kono and decides that he doesn't need to keep this from them, "Marcus Wheeler was the guy who talked to me when I was captured Danny. He was. . .the one who shot. . .and tortured me."

"Who sounds like me?"

"Yeah. He took my gun. If that gun was now in the hands of one of Vitali's men, then he must have a connection to Vitali," Steve is now slowly sitting back up, pleasantly surprised that it doesn't hurt that much, "Danny we might find him, if we can find the connection to Vitali."

"We'll find him Steve and he will pay for what he did to you. We'll find him. You want to get up," Danny helps his friend back to his feet and is glad to see that he is completely steady on his feet. "You all right?"

"Yeah I'm good. Kono I'm sorry I really didn't mean to interrupt you," Steve smiles at her.

"You have a very dramatic way to make me stop talking boss."

"Sorry, is the table really smashed," Steve is looking at Chin who looks like his dog just died.

"The computer is fine but the screen is busted, we need a new one," Chin is gently touching the surface of the smart table they have by now reached.

None of his team mates can suppress the smile.

"I'm sure the Governor will spring for a new one Chin. Kono why is Wheeler in the system how did he get identified?"

"He left prints all over the crime scene. He took a rich business man and his family hostage, killed the man but left the woman and two children unharmed, they were locked in a room and didn't see anything. His file says that he was a former Marine."

"Yeah he was, he left the service in 2007 and started to work for a private security company that provides training and security to companies in Afghanistan. Their business is legit and okay-ed by the US, in early 2008 he left the firm and his trail was lost until he was involved in an ambush on a SEAL team."

"Your team," Danny is looking at his friend and wonders how much Steve is going to reveal in front of Chin and Kono.

"Yes. He left some prints on some of the stuff he used to get information out of me," Steve is looking up and is not elaborating on what kind of 'stuff' he is talking about. "I learned about all of that about six weeks after my team found me. Wheeler and his people were never found, they packed everything up and left."

"They left you alive? Why didn't they kill you, not that I'm not glad that they didn't, but why leave a witness behind," Kono is looking at her boss without really knowing what he went through when he was obviously in the hands of Marcus Wheeler.

"They left me there to die, I was already half dead. I had a very bad infection from a gunshot-wound to the abdomen that went untreated for five days. I wouldn't have survived without medical attention for more than a couple more hours. I was in really bad shape. Maybe they thought I was dead or they just wanted me to suffer till the end. I don't know."

"So now at least we know how the gun came to Hawaii," Chin is looking at his team-mates.

"Yeah it looks like we can almost close the file on the case, I mean we know about the connection between Sunrise and Vitali, that they were only a front for his weapons deals and for their money laundry. We know about the law firm they used and we know about their connection to Japan. We know that Nakamura is legit and not involved. We know that Vitali wanted Steve for revenge for the death of his friend Yuri and the bust of his 'empire'. We also know that Stephanie was behind the attempts at the hospital. What we don't know is the involvement of Mark Hope, if there is any and who switched the pills here in the office. That could not have been Stephanie, she was already in custody by then. And on a side note we don't know what Harper Ferris' intentions are," Danny summed it up for all of them.

"Did I hear Harper Ferris," they all turn when they hear the voice of their liaisons officer.

"Hello Lieutenant," Steve is greeting his girlfriend with a smile.

"Hello Commander," since only one of them is in uniform she combines her greeting with a sweet kiss. "Oh what happened to the computer?"

"Long story. You're early," Steve doesn't want to go into the episode from earlier just now.

"Yeah well I was hoping I could get you away for a coffee round the corner, they have such great coco puffs."

"You can only have him if you promise to bring us some," Danny just loves his sweet treats.

"Deal."

"Hey don't I have a say in the matter?"

"Nope boss you're outnumbered," Kono is looking at him with her best innocent look.

Steve just turns, mumbles something and goes to his office, the four left behind looking after him, unsure if he's mad or just toying with them. But Steve just grabs the bottle of pills, badge and weapon and marches back to them, still grumbling but smiling. "You ready Cath?"

"Okay we'll be back soon and we'll bring you something, don't worry Danny."

"Don't get into trouble Steve."

"What me? Never."

"Yeah right," but Cath and Steve don't hear that anymore because they are already on their way to the elevator.

"So why are you really here this early," Steve is looking at Cath while leaning against the wall, he's glad that his chest doesn't hurt right now, that's why he chose the elevator instead of the stairs, he wants to keep it that way. Whatever Mark shot him up with is really doing the trick.

"You look tired are you okay?"

"Don't change the subject and yes I'm fine. Went to see Mark, he gave me something. Breastbone's broken through by the way but I'm good. Now why are you an hour early?"

"When did that happen, what did you do, are you in pain?"

"Cath I'm fine. Drop it please. Something is bothering you what is it," they are out of HQ and on their way to the little café around the corner of HQ. At this time of day it's easy to get a table, lunch is over and it's too early for the afternoon coffee-break. They order their drinks and Steve also wants some cheesecake, today with strawberries. Cath always has to smile when he indulges himself with such a sweet treat, which is seldom enough, but if he does well than it's not something low-fat/low-calorie/soy-something. She always asks herself where he put it.

"I wanted to talk to you and I didn't want to wait till tonight."

"About what, did something happen? Cath is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry for this morning, I didn't mean to be so harsh about your decision to talk to Neill."

Steve is looking at his girlfriend, this morning seems such a lifetime ago to him. He already forgot about their 'argument' and that he was kind of mad at her. "Cath that's okay, don't worry about it. I know how mad you're at him, that's fine. I guess my 'forgiveness' really blindsided all of you. I just want to put it all behind me and move on, it cost me enough time."

"You were angry with me this morning. Steve I'm sorry I shouldn't have reacted so strongly and I really would like to talk it out with you."

"Cath there really is nothing to talk about," Steve is looking at 'his' woman and wonders if Danny is right that he might need help to understand women.

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure," Steve is mumbling around some cheesecake, "my doctor told me today that I won't be allowed to fly for another four weeks so I'm not going on any missions any time soon."

Cath is looking at him and knows that she shouldn't feel this way since it's his job and something he loves, but she is glad that he won't go on some secret OP again. Of course she knows that it will happen at some point as long as he stays in the Reserves, the Navy will not give up on getting Steve to do some work for them, she knows how valuable his special skill is to them. "How'd you feel about it?"

"Good. I'm not fit enough to go active right now. I told my CO that I will probably need another three months before I'm back to my old self. They want me to participate in some extra training, don't ask me what, I don't know yet. Guess Jenny and I are going to spend some extra hours at the base," Steve finishes his cake and coffee.

"You're awfully 'cool' about being out of the game, what's that about?"

"Well I guess I have more to think about now, I'm not alone anymore. I have a family to think about, I have you, Five-0 and not to forget I'm an uncle now," Steve grins at his girlfriend, it came to him lately that he needs to start to think more about the people in his life. The people he loves and who love him. "Besides I'm getting older, I don't need to be on 'every' mission anymore to fulfill my desire for action, there is enough action with Five-0 thank you very much. I'm good with sitting this one out."

"Well then Uncle Steve I'm happy to sit with you," Cath is looking at her friend and is very happy about this development. Seems that they are in for the long run. Nothing would make her happier.

Steve is watching his girlfriend who looks at him rather strange, with a look he really can't read, but she looks really happy so he's not going to dwell on that, "you ready to go?"

"Yeah let's just grab something for the guys."

A few minutes later they are on their way to HQ to put the finishing touches on the case.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>Thank you all so much for reading. I'm really sad to say that there is only one more chapter to go and the epilogue. Here's a little sneak peek as always.<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 39 – Getting out with a bang<strong>

Carl Jennings is a little early for his visit at Five-0 HQ and wonders if he might come at an inconvenient time when he sees his friend talking to the Governor of Hawaii in his office. He never met her but of course he's seen her pictures. Lieutenant Jennings is looking around the main office of Five-0 and sees a young woman heading his way.

"You must be Carl Jennings," Kono is addressing the tall dark haired man standing in front of her. She thinks that he might be around the same age as her boss, but it's hard to tell when he looks at her with an easy smile and dark blue eyes.

"Yes I am."

"I'm Kono. Welcome, Steve told us to entertain you if he's still with Governor Jameson."

"Entertain me? Well in that case you have to call me Carl. It's nice to meet you Kono, you're a Detective with Five-0?"


	39. Chapter 39 Going out with a bang

**Chapter 39 – Getting out with a bang**

Carl Jennings is a little early for his visit at Five-0 HQ and wonders if he might come at an inconvenient time when he sees his friend talking to the Governor of Hawaii in his office. He never met her but of course he's seen her pictures. Lieutenant Jennings is looking around the main office of Five-0 and sees a young woman heading his way.

"You must be Carl Jennings," Kono is addressing the tall dark haired man standing in front of her. She thinks that he might be around the same age as her boss, but it's hard to tell when he looks at her with an easy smile and dark blue eyes.

"Yes I am."

"I'm Kono. Welcome, Steve told us to entertain you if he's still with Governor Jameson."

"Entertain me? Well in that case you have to call me Carl. It's nice to meet you Kono, you're a Detective with Five-0?"

"I work here yes, but I'm not a Detective. Yet. They still call me the rookie here," she is winking at Chin and Danny who are joining them.

"Don't believe a word she's saying, hi I'm Chin Ho Kelly."

"Carl. Hi Chin, I hope it's okay to call you Chin?"

"Yeah of course."

"Welcome to Five-0, I'm Danny Williams, Steve's partner. He'll be with us shortly, can we get you anything?"

"No thank you I'm fine. Sorry I'm a little early."

"Nah that's fine. Steve said you're in Hawaii not that long? How'd you like it so far?"

"This is my home, I grew up here. Haven't been home in a long time though. I left after College before I joined the Navy."

"So you and Steve didn't go to the Academy together?"

"No I went to OCS* to become an officer, we met later in Coronado and hit it off right away."

"Hit it off?"

"Yeah you know how it is Detective, we just clicked."

"Yeah I know what you mean Lieutenant," since he's not being called Danny he won't start calling him Carl. _Well seems we're off to a good start_, Danny cringes inwardly and wonders if he could have handled this differently, but comes to the conclusion that he was very nice and polite. He sees Steve getting the Governor out the door and heading back their way.

"Jenny!"

They all turn by the voice of their boss and Carl Jennings moves to embrace his former partner in a hug and to their surprise Steve hugs him back without holding anything back and seems really happy to see his friend.

"Doggie it's good to see you again. You feel better? I was worried last week."

"Yeah I'm good. Have you met my team?"

"Yeah we're just done with the introduction," Carl is smiling at his friend and has to grin when he thinks about the awkwardness that 'Detective' Williams is still extruding with every pore.

Steve is not blind or stupid and can see that the first meeting between his two friends didn't go so well. He wished he was there to smooth things over, but they are both adults and just have to learn to deal with it, "Will you excuse Danny and me for a few minutes? Chin can you show Carl some of our technical 'stuff'. We'll be right back."

"Yeah sure, no problem," Chin is happy to show his new toy, Jameson okay-ed the new smart table and Chin insisted that it was installed last night. He even got an upgrade on the computer system and is now a very happy camper.

Steve and Danny leave them for a few minutes to discuss what the Governor's visit to the office was about.

"So what did she want," Danny comes right to the point.

"You don't like him," Steve is not answering but looks at his friend and tries to find out what he missed.

"Nah Steve I think he's a nice guy, he seemed concerned about you and seems to get along well with Chin and Kono, told us where you two met."

"And you don't like him," Steve smiles at Danny.

"No it's not that, why does he call me Detective? He called Chin and Kono by their first name right away, I was really nice to him Steve but he calls me 'Detective'."

"Yeah well he likes to rile people up like that, don't think any of it just call him Carl okay? Please Danny give him a chance, I know he's not the easiest person but he's really worth it. Please?"

"Wow Steve two 'please' in one sentence. It's really important to you that I like him, isn't it?"

"Danny I don't have a lot of friends, never stayed long enough in one place to make any. So yeah it's important to me that the friends I do have get along," Steve is looking at Danny and hopes that he understands how important this is for him. Heck he has to work with both of them and his life would be a lot easier if they would not hate each other's guts.

"Okay fine. But so you know I was really nice to him."

"I know Danny. Thank you," Steve knows that Jenny can be difficult and he likes to provoke people. Some think he's looking for a fight but that's not it at all, he's just brutally honest and doesn't come with a censor button, actually just like Danny.

"So what did Jameson want?"

"Oh nothing much, she was just royally miffed because her dear friend Harper called and complained that someone pulled her personal file. Chin didn't do a very good job in hiding his trace, I need to have a word with him about that. I told her that she 'harassed' me and that I ordered Chin to take a look into her."

"Well Steve one basket of flowers and a wishing well card can hardly be called harassment," Danny is grinning at his friend.

"No probably not, but Danny you didn't see her look at the Hilton, that woman is not right in her head."

"Okay my friend you need to calm down, jeez a beautiful woman is sending you flowers and you go all crazy about it. Is Jameson going to talk to her?"

"Yeah she'll do that. Other than complaining about our intruding in the private life of Harper Ferris she was very satisfied with our work on Vitali and asked if the file was closed. I told her it was" they are now back out of the office to join the others.

"She should hear from the DA in the next days, right?"

"Yeah we need to turn in the last paperwork and then that's it."

"Hey Doggie this is great, Chin thanks for the tour."

"No problem."

"So Carl why'd you call Steve Doggie," Danny is looking at Carl Jennings.

"Well Danny I'm afraid that's classified," he grins right back.

"Sure it is," Danny can't but grumble.

"If it's any conciliation he already came with that name when we met. Took me two years to find out how he got the name, but I can tell you he deserves it."

It's obvious that Jennings won't disclose any secrets easily.

"Jenny did the Captain call you? Our tour is canceled," Steve informs his friend.

"What why?"

"I'm not allowed to fly for at least another four weeks. He agreed to give me eight weeks to get back in shape before we have to report to duty for our three week tour," that was the best he could get, his CO wouldn't go for the three month Steve asked for.

"We need to talk about that later, I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay. Listen would you all like to go for some lunch, my treat," Steve is looking around his friends and hopes that they will all come, he really would like for them to know Carl Jennings better. He knows that they are concerned about him when he's going on his three-week-trip and he would feel better if they knew that Jenny will have his back when they can't.

"You have your wallet?"

"Yes Danny I have my money," he even shows Danny his wallet when they leave their HQ. "How about 'Sandi's Diner' down the block? Jenny they have the best curries on the island, even Danny likes them."

"Not the one with that sweet curry sauce and pineapple and peaches in it. How can you eat that stuff," Danny is actually shuddering by the thought of that dish, even though his friends tell him how absolutely delicious it is.

"You don't like fruit," Carl is looking at him.

"I love fruit even pineapple, but not in my meals. It's disgusting to put pineapple on pizza or on toast."

"I hear you Danny, ham and pineapple is the worst, Doggie here always tries to sell that one to me. He's relentless. But I'm telling you, no fruit on my pizza!"

"I think I just met my new best friend. Move away Steve I need to be close to the one sane person on this island," Danny is grinning from ear to ear and gently squeezes himself between Steve and Carl.

"Traitor," Steve is laughing at Jenny. "Uh guys I forgot something in the office, listen I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," he just remembered that he forgot his bottle of pills in his office, he wanted to keep them on his person but put them in his desk out of habit, "order the 'peach dream' for me please."

Steve laughs at Danny's annoyed face and hurries back to HQ, well at least as fast as he can at the moment. Even though his chest is not hurting thanks to the magic pills Mark gave him, but jogging or even fast walking lets the pain flare up with a vengeance. It takes him only a few minutes to enter HQ again but is hold up a good ten minutes in the lobby by the Assistant of the DA handling Vitali's case. After promising to come by their office the next morning he is entering the main office when he sees movement out of the corner of his eyes, but by then it's already too late.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny Williams must admit Steve was right, Carl Jennings seems to be the real deal. He is funny, charming but at the same time there is a seriousness to him he only experienced in Steve so far. Come to think of it those two are very much alike. It's funny to see that Carl does the exact same thing as Steve, whenever Steve enters a room he always gives it a sweep. _Probably assessing the threat level or something._ Danny is sure that Carl knows exactly how many people are in the restaurant and where they are at any given moment. He seems relaxed but at the same time Danny can see an alertness he always sees in Steve. _Guess it's a survival instinct in SEAL's or maybe in such highly trained people in general._ He knows that his and his colleagues alertness and receptiveness of situations is higher than of a 'normal' person but Steve and Carl are playing in a different league.

"So Danny, Steve told me you have a daughter, Grace?"

"Yeah, she's nine and lives with her mother. She's the reason I came here. Steve told me you have twins, said something about your first twins," Danny is looking at Jenny questionable, he would not peg him as the typical father-type.

Carl Jennings has to laugh at that, "Yeah Steven and John, we call him Jay, they're almost four. Kim and Alice are just shy of two, we didn't plan to have any more but my wife is due in five weeks. So that was kind of an accident, I just hope that there are no surprises with more twins. I don't think I would survive another set of twins."

"Wow, five kids. That is, wow," Danny is looking at Steve's friend and has to laugh at his nodding.

"Yeah I get that a lot. Believe me we didn't plan it like that, but I wouldn't miss a minute of it for the world."

"Speaking of missing, what's taking Steve so long," Chin is looking at Danny for an answer. "Any idea what he forgot?"

"Probably his pills again. He's not big on taking them but without them his chest is really bothering him. I guess he left them in his desk again."

"I was worried last week, he was not feeling well and he was in obvious pain, is he alright Danny?"

"Well his breastbone is broken through by now and it's really hurting him a lot, even though he keeps that mostly to himself."

"Oh yeah he's really good with that, we were on a mission once and he broke two ribs and no one and I mean no one knew until we were back home. He kept it from all of us and just moved on and completed the mission. If he's in that mode nothing is going to stop him."

"Yeah we saw that mode once or twice."

"Danny I highly doubt that. Believe me you haven't seen Steve the SEAL yet and you better hope you never will. You probably saw a glimpse of him during the mess with Nick and I'm sure he used his skills and a tiny part of his training, but he hasn't switched to SEAL mode while with the task force," Carl is smiling at them, fully knowing what his friend is capable of and he knows that he always keeps the SEAL reigned in. That part of Steve and himself for that matter is for a war zone or a deadly mission, not for being on a police force on an island.

"So where is he? It's almost twenty minutes now," Danny is getting his phone out and presses Steve's speed dial. His call goes straight to voice mail. "He's not answering."

H50 – H50 – H50

"Turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them", the voice is calm and smooth.

Steve turns slowly as he was told and faces two men, the two men he saw just seconds ago out of the corner of his eyes. He can now see them clearly and sees that they are dressed like ninjas as Danny would call it, they are both training their guns on him, Glock 22 with a silencer on it he registers without even thinking about it.

"Who are you?"

"Put your hands behind your head and get down on your knees, cross your ankles," the gun of the speaker is not wavering one bit.

Steve puts his hands behind his head but is not going down to his knees, "What'd you want?"

"We're the back-up with best regards from Vitali, now I'm only telling you once more, get down on your knees."

"And then what, you gonna shoot me? Wouldn't recommend that, because you shoot me, then he," he nods at someone behind the two, "will shoot you," Steve grins at them.

It is just a tiny movement just a tiny fraction of insecurity and a little twitch, but it's enough for Steve to act on it. It will probably be the only chance he'll get. Steve jumps and tackles the man closest to him and takes him by surprise, he hits him midsection and knocks the wind out of him. A shot gets off before they both hit the ground hard. The bullet leaves the barrel with just a soft pop but when it hits one of the screens hanging from the ceiling, the sound makes up for it. Steve lands on top of the assassin and manages to keep hold of the hand with the gun, but his opponent manages to roll them over and now his whole weight presses on Steve who has trouble getting enough air into his abused chest. He still has both his hands on the hand with the gun when 'ninja' hits him on the side of the head with his free fist. Stars appear in his vision when the fist connects with his temple right where Jefferson's bullet grazed him not even a week ago. He feels his grip slipping a bit and knows that he needs to get the upper hand in the next seconds before his attacker can get another hit in.

The gun discharges again and finds another innocent victim in one of the many screens. _Chin will be so pissed._ Steve wonders why the second guy doesn't intervene, but realized that the fight is just going on for a few seconds and they are rolling around too much for him to get a clear shot. He sees the second one aiming at them and tries to get another shot off this time in the direction of that second ninja, who's more of a threat at the moment than the guy he is actually fighting with.

They get two more shots off, two more screens are shot to hell but the second guy is still unharmed. They are not even ten seconds engaged in this deadly game when Steve finally can rid his attacker of his gun, it's slithering away over the floor. In one smooth motion he lets go of the hand that no longer holds the gun, gets his own gun out of the holster, rolls away from his opponent, aims and shoots the second guy who's gun discharges at the same time as Steve's. He can practically feel the bullet whizzing by his head, missing him just by a hair's breadth. He sees the second guy going down, his bullet hit him square in the chest.

The time to celebrate that victory is cut short by his first attacker who is faster on his feet than Steve and his kick hits Steve midsection when he's just getting back to his feet. Steve goes down with a thud, but keeps rolling with the punch and uses the momentum to get back on his feet. He's bringing his gun back up but before he can fire it gets kicked out of his hand and flies out of his reach. It's obvious that 'ninja' knows some mean ninja-moves.

Before Steve can even take a breath the attacker flies at him and kicks him into the new smart table, he rolls over it, hearing the crack of the screen, cringing by the thought to explain the need for another one in less than one day. He falls onto his feet on the other side of the table but 'ninja' is already there, Steve takes two hits to the face before he can block the vicious attacks and can get a hit of his own in.

This is a fight to the death; he knows that only one of them will survive. Steve no longer fights to defend himself but to kill his opponent. Steve doesn't register any hits anymore and he gets hit quite a bit, 'ninja' is really good at what he does, Steve has completely tuned out his surroundings, there is only one goal, eliminate the threat.

The two of them are again on the floor, rolling around, both trying to get the upper hand. Steve has great difficulties to get air into his lungs, his chest feels like there are dozens of knives sticking in it and every breath he tries to take puts another one in it.

He's on his back and 'ninja' smashes his head onto the floor, Steve hates that, it's the last thing he needs now; another concussion. So far he was lucky, no serious punches to his head, just the one to his temple, but if 'ninja' keeps going with this he'll be dead in a matter of minutes. He needs to end this but that's easier said than done.

But suddenly he's gone, 'ninja' is gone. Steve is blinking and looks in astonishment to the side where Danny and 'ninja' are rolling over the ground. Danny obviously tackled him and got him off of him. Steve tries to get up, help his friend, but he's spent, he barely manages to lift his head to look at the unfair fight. 'Ninja' managed to almost knock Steve out, it will only take him a few moments to knock Danny out. Yes of course Danny can hold his own against most anyone, but this guy is highly trained and set on killing. Just as much as Steve couldn't take him out alone, Danny won't be able to do it either. But together they can.

Steve rolls onto his belly and crawls a few feet to where his gun is idly laying on the ground. He grabs it, turns and manages to get onto his knees, he trains the gun on the still fighting pair lying on the ground a few feet away. Danny is on his back and it's clear that he's in the same position Steve was just a few moments ago.

Steve fires a warning shot, which makes them both stop, "Get away from him, get onto your knees, hands behind your head." Steve's hand is not shaking and is voice is loud and clear.

'Ninja' is looking at him and he seems to contemplate his chances, he obviously comes to the wrong conclusion. He charges to take down Steve, but a bullet stops him cold, the surprise doesn't even have time to register on his face before he falls down. The bullet between his eyes made sure of that.

Steve lets his arms drop to his sides and lowers himself back onto the ground, his vision is graying and he's sure to pass out any second. But instead of darkness honing in on him there is Danny hovering over him, "Can't I leave you alone for even a few minutes?"

Steve smiles up at his friend, who will get a beautiful shiner around his left eye and whose nose is bleeding freely, "You okay Danny?"

"Yeah fine, can you get up? Who the heck were those guys," Danny is now behind his friend and helps him getting back to his feet. "Can you stand?" He's looking at his partner rather unsure if he's stable enough to stand on his own, Steve looks like hell. The graze on his temple is bleeding again, he was obviously hit there, his cheek is red and lightly swollen, a sure sign of a bruise forming. He has his arms protectively on his chest and his breathing is rather labored. But his eyes are clear and his speech is not slurred.

"I'm okay, he hit you pretty hard Danny."

"No I'm good."

They both look at the big glass door when some uniformed officers are entering with their guns drawn, "Everything's under control, you can put your guns away."

For the first time Danny is looking around, their main office is a complete mess. Besides from two dead bodies there is the smashed smart-table, almost every screen is shot to pieces.

"Great. You have any idea how much paperwork this means," Danny is indicating the smashed equipment and the two dead bodies.

"Ah come on Danny, you're so good at it, I'm sure you're done with it before our trip on the weekend," Steve is grinning at his friend while leaning against the busted smart table, "Where are the others and why are you here exactly?"

"Oh so nice of you to ask, I was worried when you didn't answer your phone."

"Thank you Danny, he would have killed me," Steve is gently touching his temple and looks at his fingers which are coming back covered in blood.

"Don't do that, who knows where your fingers were before; you'll only give yourself an infection."

The place is by now crawling with officers, they were alerted by the shots fired by Steve, but it took them long enough to get there. A team of paramedics are just coming in accompanied by the rest of the team and Carl. They stop short after taking a good look at their destroyed office but make their way over to Danny and Steve after they spot them.

"Steve, Danny are you all right? What happened here," Kono is addressing her two team-mates.

"We're fine Kono. Vitali's back-up plan paid me a visit."

"Sir the EMT's are here. Both of you are hurt," a young officer is approaching them.

"I should probably get checked out, I hit my head pretty hard," four heads are whipping around and his team-mates are looking at him with eyes big as saucers.

"Did you just say you need to get checked out," Danny is looking at his friend totally unbelievingly.

"Hey I'm not an idiot; I'm dizzy and my head hurts, probably should get a CT or something," Steve is telling his friends while looking at his partner.

"Sir let me take a look at you, here sit down Sir," one of the EMT's is guiding Steve to a nearby chair and indicates for him to take a seat. Which Steve does very gingerly his chest is hurting pretty bad and it's a little struggle to breathe.

Tom, the older of the two paramedics gets his pen light out and starts his tests on Steve while his friends are hovering around him, "Sir are you nauseous?"

"No, just somewhat dizzy. No blurry vision."

"Good, how often did you get hit in the head," he is shining the hated pen light into Steve's eyes, which makes him flinch a little.

"Three times by fist and one smash on the floor, can you please stop that," Steve is pushing the medics hand away from his chest when he tries to probe his ribs.

"I like to take you to the ER for further testing, one pupil is a little slow in reacting. It's probably nothing, just to be on the safe side, okay?"

"Fine, but I walk."

"If you're okay to walk you can do that. But you're going by ambulance. Deal?"

"Okay."

"Good. One of you coming with him?"

"Yeah I'll be going," Danny is looking at his team, "you'll finish up here?"

"Sure you go with the boss, we keep you posted," Kono is looking at her cousin for confirmation.

"You go brah, we have this covered."

"Doggie I'm going to call you later okay? Man is it always like this?"

"Oh this? Just a normal day in the office Jenny. Sorry to cut this short."

"Don't worry we'll finish our lunch later," the two friends shake hands and Carl Jennings leaves their office still shaking his head over the chaos that was Five-0 HQ at the moment.

Steve looks around the HQ and sees with regret that the main office is mostly destroyed and that it is now a crime scene. Too bad that the two dead 'ninjas' won't tell them anything anymore. He just hopes that those two were the only back-up plan.

"Is that it now?"

"What do you mean Danny," Steve is looking at his friend who helps him getting up from the chair. He stays at his side in case Steve is not as steady on his feet as he likes to think he is.

"This," he makes a sweeping motion around their office, "is this the last part of Vitali's plan or do you think there will be more? Are we going to be on the lookout for any more assassins the next weeks or months?"

"I'm pretty sure he's done now Danny. Hey your nose is still bleeding, is it broken? You should get checked out," Steve is looking with concern at his friend.

"I'm fine!"

"Danny come on, I'm going to the hospital voluntarily, the least you could do is getting checked out as well."

They keep arguing all the way to the ambulance and all the way to the hospital. The medic is happy to unload his charges at the ER at Queens Medical, he doesn't think that he would have been able to refrain himself from sedating them both for much longer.

Turns out that Steve doesn't have a concussion, just a bad headache and some new bruises. He didn't even damage his already broken sternum any more than it already is. Danny on the other hand is a different matter, Mark Hope took one look at his still bleeding nose and sent him into one of the exam rooms. All of Danny's arguments fell on deaf ears to the amusement of Steve who was whisked away to a CT scan as soon as he walked into the treatment area. With his history of head injuries they didn't take any chances, which is the reason why Steve was so very willing to go to the hospital in the first place.

Steve really is no idiot and knows perfectly well what another head injury might mean for him. His risk of getting severe cases of PCS is very high and even a mild concussion can have serious consequences for someone with so many head injuries as Steve. So he will take better care of himself in the future and will take any blows to the head seriously. He has to smile when he thinks about the shocked faces of his friends when he spoke up to go to the hospital for a checkup. But also thinks that they haven't really realized how serious his condition still is.

He played football during high school which resulted in multiple concussions and later his job lead to some traumatic brain injuries, any more hard hits to the head and he might be in danger to develop CTE*. He will not change his life, but he will take measures to ensure his safety, at least as much as he can. And that includes being responsible if he got hit, which he is sure will happen again in the future. Mark assured him that he is not showing any signs of any permanent damage so far but he urged him to be careful and to avoid unnecessary risks. Which is exactly what he is going to do because he really likes to see his grandchildren. _Wow, shouldn't you start maybe with children first? Shut up!_

Steve is sitting on the exam gurney and Mark is putting a small patch on the now cleaned graze on his temple, "You were lucky Steve, no damage. But you should go home and lay down I bet your head hurts pretty bad."

"Yeah it does. How's Danny? Is he okay?"

"Don't worry he'll be fine, they just needed to cauterize some arteries, no big deal. Nothing's broken and he can go home."

"Good," Steve was worried that Danny broke his nose, but it seems that they were both pretty lucky.

"Okay that's it Steve you're good to go. Take your pills and try to rest some but you should be fine. If you get more dizzy spells or any nausea, shortness of breath or a general feeling of unwell, Steve please call me."

"Will do, but I feel okay, just a headache but other than that I'm good."

Dr. Hope mumbles something that Steve doesn't understand but it's probably better that way. He gets off the gurney and after a thanks and good bye to Mark he's on his way to find his partner.

Steve has to smile when he finally finds him in one of the exam rooms, he's arguing with one of the nurses about sitting in a wheelchair.

"That is ridiculous, my legs are perfectly fine, I busted my nose. You see my nose, I don't need my nose for walking, I can walk just fine."

What makes all this so funny, that Steve can hardly keep his laughter in is the stuffed nose of Danny, which makes his voice downright hilarious. Of course he shouldn't laugh, his partner is hurt, well sort of. But one look at him almost sends him over the edge. Danny's nose is completely stuffed with white gauze held in place by a strip of tape. Steve puts on his serious concerned face but Danny is looking at him very suspiciously and seems to wait for Steve for so much as smirk at him.

"So Danny you good to get wheeled out of here?"

"Why aren't you in a wheelchair?"

"Sorry what was that?"

Danny only glares at him, he knows that Steve understood him just fine.

"Come on Danny let's _blow_ this joint," Steve can't quite manage to keep the snicker in.

"I'm getting hurt saving your ass and you're making fun of me? This is rich my friend," but he also can't keep the grin off his face, he knows how ridiculous he looks and sounds, "Steve are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, no damage done. Mark said to go home for today, you wanna come? We could celebrate the end of the case with a BBQ."

"Didn't we do that yesterday with the team dinner?"

"Yeah but today it's really over, so how about just pizza and beer?"

"Okay okay I'm coming with you. Should we call Chin or Kono to take us home?"

"Nope already called Cath she'll pick us up in a few minutes. She was not very happy to come to the hospital again."

"Oh now I see-you want my protection from the missus."

"Not protection Danny, back-up."

"How could I forget, I'm the back-up."

"Yeah, the best there is Danny," Steve's reply is softly spoken but Danny can hear him loud and clear.

"Right back at ya babe."

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><strong>*OCS<strong> - **O**fficer **C**andidate **S**chool in Pensacola, FL

***CTE** - **C**hronic **T**raumatic **E**ncephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease found in individuals who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury

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><p><em><strong>Just to clear one thing up "Ham and Pineapple" Pizza is the best in the world, the juicy sweet fruit and the ham combined with a thick layer of cheese, there is just no better pizza than that. And if you really like to spice it up some more, put a touch of fresh garlic on one half of it. Hmmmm.<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>If anyone was wondering why the officers took so long to reach the offices of Five-0, thanks Francis2 for the hint, well I don't think there are many officers in the building in the first place.<strong>_

_**As I understand it that building is mostly for administrative uses and only houses Five-0 as a police force. Remember in the finale, the officer all came by car, none of them was already in the building.**_

_**So as I see it, some of the people in the building heard Steve's shots and alerted HPD. And since Danny was already on the way it's clear that he was there before them.**_

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><p><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. One more to go.<strong>_

_**Sorry but there will be no sneak peek into it, because this is about the bet Danny lost (waaaayyyyy back in 'Search and Rescue'). Any guesses what kind of trip they are going to take?**_

_**Stay tuned the last chapter will be coming soon.**_


	40. Chapter 40 Epilogue

_**Well this is it. The last chapter of ‚Recovery'. I like to thank every single one of you who read this story, I appreciate that you took the time to read my little fantasy. I had so much fun writing it and I hope that you enjoyed it a little bit.**_

_**My special thanks to everyone who reviewed a chapter or even every single one of them. You have no idea what a thrill it was for me to get those reviews, especially the ones with so much insight and suggestions, questions or constructive criticism. Thank you!**_

_**A very special thank you again to my beta-reader, without her none of this would have been possible. Thank you Kristi.**_

_**I decided to make this a trilogy, so there will be a third part before I'm going to post some stories more in canon with the second season. I hope you will all join the gang to have a party with Steve. Of course 'Steve's Party' is not exactly going as planned. Stay tuned the story will be up soon.**_

_**But now let's move on and enjoy the epilogue.**_

_**I'm sorry it took a little longer to post this part, but you know how RL can be sometimes.**_

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Grace Williams is bouncing and skipping down the pier. She is excited about this trip for weeks now, "Uncle Steve do you think Danno will like it? Do you think he will go in the water with me?"

"I'm sure he will. Don't worry I think he secretly loves Hawaii."

"That's what Mommy says. When is Catherine coming?"

"She is picking your dad up, they should be here any minute," just as he finishes his answer, his friends pull up in Steve's truck.

Grace is running back up the pier to them, "Daddy!"

"Monkey! I didn't know you'd come too."

"Surprise!"

Danny is looking at Steve and asks a dozen questions just with his eyes.

"Danny do you call this 'casual'; those are your work clothes."

"Hey I'm not wearing a tie, so I'm in casual clothes," he is looking at his partner who is dressed in dark blue shorts and a light blue polo shirt and his bare feet in sneakers. Well one bare foot the other is still sporting the special brace that prevents the foot from moving sideways after he hurt it again during their run-in with the weapons dealers. Catherine and his daughter are similarly dressed only difference is the girls are completely dressed in light blue. "Seems like I'm a bit overdressed."

"Yeah well since we know you so well, we have a change of clothes for you," Steve is grinning at him.

Gracie is leading her dad down the pier where they stop at a beautiful old sailing boat that seems to be in top condition.

"Wow whose boat is that, it's beautiful," even though Danny is not into anything water related he knows a beautiful boat when he sees one.

"It's Uncle Steve's," Gracie is calling while she jumps expertly onto the deck.

"No it's not 'mine'. I own a quarter of it. My dad bought it over 40 years ago with three friends, now part of it is mine," Steve clears that up when he follows Gracie on to the boat and has to smile when she comes to him to fasten her life vest. He had it custom made for her with the Navy logo and her name on it and instead the usual orange it's more pinkish. It fits her perfectly so that she can move around with it on without it being in the way. "Okay you're good to go."

"Come aboard Daddy you get a life vest too. Everyone gets one, even Uncle Steve and he can really swim," she is holding up something that does _not_ look like a life vest at all. It's one of those vests that will only inflate when thrown into the water. They are not as bulky or in the way as normal life vests but as safe when inflated. "Uncle Steve can help you put it on, it will only explode when you fall into the water." Steve has to snicker at her terminology.

"I'd rather not have it exploding on me," but he takes the offered piece anyway and looks at the straps and has no idea how to put the thing on.

"Danny why don't you change into something more fitting for the trip and we'll put the vest on you then?"

"Come on Daddy I'll show you your stuff," Danny knows that his daughter must be really excited about all this, because she has called him 'Daddy' at least a dozen times by now. While he is going 'downstairs', he is pretty sure Steve would tell him the right name for it, he thinks about all kinds of methods to get back at his partner for this trip to hell.

They come back up a short while later and Steve must admit Danny almost looks like he belongs on that boat if it weren't for the look of apprehension in his eyes. He smiles at him and helps him putting on his life vest.

"Daddy you can help me get the boat ready to sail. Uncle Steve taught my all the naughty words." Danny is looking first at Grace in shock and then accusingly at Steve. "Uh that's not right, Uncle Steve what are they called?"

"Nautical terms."

"Right, naughty-cal terms. Like stern, aft, abaft, lee-oh, furl and of course aye,aye. You don't say 'yes' at sea Daddy. And I can make a really difficult knot, you have to know your knots if you want to be a sailor. I can show you, you can be a sailor too and we can sail together," Grace is beaming at her father who can hardly hold his laughter in. His daughter is always chatty but today she is exuberant with joy and excitement. It's a long time that he saw her this happy since the divorce. "Uncle Steve, you think we'll see dolphins again, that was so cool, Daddy they jumped out of the water this high. But you should not swim with them out at sea they can be aggressive and hurt you while they want to play. You have to think about your safety first because the ocean can be dangerous if you're not careful. That is why I had to learn so many things first but now I know a lot about the ocean, right Uncle Steve?"

"Yes Gracie you're my best student yet."

Danny has to smile when his daughter is actually blushing by the compliment from his partner. Maybe it's not going to be a trip to hell after all, if his daughter seems to enjoy it so much.

"Uncle Steve when will Kono and Chin be here, do we have to wait much longer?"

"They will be here any minute. Gracie why don't you show Danno your license and tell him what we're going to do later. It's below deck in your cabin." Gracie grabs his hand and pulls her father down below.

"How many times is she going to say 'Uncle Steve' today? You think she will break her record," Cath is laughing at Steve who is just checking and securing the scuba-tanks on deck.

"I highly doubt that," he is smiling back at Cath who he must admit looks really good in her shorts.

"Don't even think about it, there is a kid on board," she is now grinning at him while she is teasing him mercilessly.

"Uh I'll get you back for this when we're back home"

"I sure hope so sailor."

H50 – H50 – H50

Chin and Kono arrive a short time later and after putting away their gear and the food and drinks they brought, they are ready to leave the pier. They will not set sail before they reach open water and so they are slowly going out to sea by the aid of the engine. Steve is at the helm with Grace in front of him holding on to the rudder. They are softly talking to each other and Danny can see how Steve patiently explains every detail of every maneuver to her. He has never seen Grace paying such rapt attention to anyone, it looks like she isn't even aware of anything other than her Uncle Steve and what she has to do to get the boat safely out of the harbor.

Danny has to smile at how in tune those two are, he can clearly see that Grace is completely comfortable around his partner and Steve looks completely relaxed and happy. His sarcastic comment from early in their partnership that Steve has an 'amazing way with children' is now nothing but the truth. Steve is amazing with Grace and every child they encountered so far. Danny knows that Steve is still sometimes unsure of how to act around children he doesn't know, but that's a problem most people have. After a few minutes he's just fine with every child he ever met.

Danny can't suppress the fond smile when he sees his daughter leaning her head back to look up at Steve and he's smiling down at her, says something, gently pats her shoulder and she's just beaming with pride and joy. A few weeks ago Danny was still feeling some bangs of jealousy when he saw his daughter and partner sharing such a close moment, a feeling he couldn't control even though he hated feeling like that. But now he feels nothing but love for the both of them and happiness about his daughter having someone in her life who's as devoted to her as he is. He knows without a doubt that Steve would never let anything happen to his daughter, that he would lay down his life for her.

"Hey Danny you wanna steer," Steve is grinning at him, fully knowing that those words always get Danny going, but is very surprised by his answer.

"No I think you two are perfect at what you're doing."

The smile on Steve's face is almost blinding and Danny has to laugh at his friend. He's never seen him so happy, come to think of it, it was a long time that 'he' was this happy. Considering that he's on a boat in the middle of the ocean, well okay still the harbor, that actually says it all.

H50 – H50 – H50

Cath is looking at the interaction of Grace and Steve, it always amazes her how gentle and sweet Steve can be. She knows first-hand what kind of destruction he's capable of, seeing him as the sweet and gentle goof he really is makes her smile. The first time she met him, she knew that he had a heart bigger than anyone she's ever met. He really is her big softy, of course she would never tell him that and if he'd known that every one of his ohana knows that, he'd die of embarrassment.

Anyone who'd see him now would never believe that he can turn it all off and become a highly trained aggressive killer. Who would not stop before his mission is complete, if it is freeing some hostages or eliminating a threat, which means nothing else but killing people in the name of the country he swore to protect. That's what he trained for all those years, that's what SEALs do. Do the job no one else wants to do or can do. Do the impossible no matter what the cost. They train for combat and Steve also has this aggressive streak to his personality that is always led by professionalism. He always keeps it in when not with the SEALs, but she knows that it's there and she's seen that side of him. It's necessary for being a SEAL, they need to be aggressive, their attacks are based on shocking the enemy with swift, fast and brutal attacks using excessive force to reach their goal.

No SEAL would ever talk about what they really do and Steve is no exception. He does what is necessary and what he swore to do to serve his country. And she's damn proud of him but sometimes she wishes he were anything but a SEAL. When he wakes up from another nightmare and it's her job to try to calm down her trembling boyfriend, who's dreaming about death and destruction. When he's so caught up in his dreams about being captured and tortured that he's nothing but a sobbing mess in her arms. In those moments she wishes that he was just some ordinary guy with a nine to five job, a science nerd or something like that. But then she looks at him in the morning and knows that she doesn't want him any other way, because all his experiences in life made him into what he is. A tough as nails SEAL, hiding most of the time these days in the body of the most gentle man she ever met.

She goes over to Grace and Steve, smiles at him and gives him a sweet kiss on the cheek before she joins Danny who's again fiddling with the straps of his life vest.

"Here let me help you Danny, you need to put this through the hole, see now it fits," she's smiling at him and on impulse gives him also a kiss on the cheek which actually makes him blush.

"Thanks?"

With a laugh at his confused face she's turning to Chin and Kono, "Would you guys like some soda?"

"Yeah I'll help you get them," Kono is already halfway down below.

H50 – H50 – H50

Chin is looking after his cousin and Cath disappearing down below, thinking how lucky he is to work and spend time with them outside of work as well. His gaze wanders over to his boss, who gave him a second chance so many months back when he asked him to join the task force that didn't even have a name back then.

Chin can still remember the young man, almost still a boy when he was trained by his father, John McGarrett. Almost as tall as he's today and already on his way to become a great football player who would have had every chance to get into almost any college he wanted. Even at the age of fifteen he had many offers on the table, Chin was very surprised to learn that Steve didn't want to play professional football; he wanted to become a scientist.

Chin has to chuckle at the thought that his majors in chemistry and physics probably come in handy when blowing things up. Chin smiles when thinking about young Steve whose curiosity got him into more trouble than his father liked, but he knows that McGarrett senior was extremely proud of his son. Not just because he was a good student and an exceptional athlete but because he was a firmly grounded very polite young man, easy to laugh and always willing to help in any way. All that changed on an ordinary April day. The laughter left him and changed him tremendously. He will never be that carefree again, never be that happy again, never again be so sure what his life was about. He lost all that on that day. And then his dad did the most devastating thing a parent could do, he sent his children away.

John McGarrett took some heat from his friends and colleagues for that, but he never wavered in his decision. Now Chin knows why he did it, but he still thinks it was wrong. He looks up when he hears Steve's voice calling for him, "Chin can you take over for a minute?"

"Sure no problem, hey Grace, what's our course?"

"Uncle Steve where you're going?"

"I'll be right back Gracie, I just have to take my medication. Show Uncle Chin our course will you? When I'm back we can set sail."

"Okay," Grace is turning back to Chin and shows him the course she and Steve mapped out.

Steve is getting down to the small galley to get some water to take his pills with. He shouldn't have carried the scuba tanks onto the boat, Mark told him not to lift anything heavier than a few pounds for a couple of weeks. He thought he would be fine, they were not that heavy, but he's not feeling as good anymore as he was this morning.

"Sorry you two, am I interrupting," he's looking at Cath and Kono who are into some deep discussion.

"Nope boss not at all," Kono is grinning at him and hopes that he didn't hear anything about what they were talking about. They are still planning his birthday party and Cath just got another confirmation this morning from a friend from his days at Annapolis.

"O-kay," he's looking at the two women who are kind of secretive all of a sudden, "Cath did you see my pills? I was sure I put them in my pockets but they're not here."

"You okay?"

"Yeah fine, just wanna keep it that way."

"You sit down I look in the cabin, be right back," Cath is gently pushing him down to sit on the small bank on one side of the galley.

"Steve thank you for inviting me, this is a really beautiful boat. Did you sail often with your family?"

"Once a month we would go out, when I was young, I guess until six or so, I hated it. Later on I loved it."

"Why did you hate it," Kono is looking at her boss and can't think of a reason why he would have hated to be on a boat while he was a young child.

"I had motion sickness and whenever we went out I was puking my guts out, some of the times I was so sick that I had to lay down in the cabin. Mom always wanted to stay home with me, but dad said I would grow out of it. And he was right at some point I only got sick when the waves were pretty high, but we always would come back in when the weather got bad."

Kono is looking in amazement at her boss, this is the most he ever told her about his childhood or his parents or that he even mentioned his mom. He's absently gently rubbing his chest over his broken breastbone, "You're in pain." That was not a question.

"Just a little bit, I'll be fine."

"Found them! They were in your cargoes. You wanna take one or two," Cath is holding up his bottle with the prescription drugs.

"Two."

Cath is shaking her head at him, she long figured out that he was already in pain and not fine at all, "You're not going to help to set sail."

"No I won't. What do you think Kono and Chin are here for, we didn't invite them for their charming personality," he's grinning at Kono.

"You know that I can hurt you boss."

His grin is only getting wider, "Come on let's get this show on the road. I promised Grace that she can go up the mast to the lookout. Kono will you go up with her, I can't."

"Sure. Danny know about this?"

"Nope."

"Oh joy."

They're joining the others, surprised to see how far they're already away from the shore.

"All right listen up, I need another volunteer who's going up with Kono to the lookout. Anyone?"

Grace is jumping up and down in front of him, she's been waiting for this moment all morning.

"Oh Cadet Grace, you sure you're up to this?"

"Yes yes of course!"

"Well than get your gear," Steve is calmly looking at Danny who seems not knowing what to say, _well that's a new one_. Grace is off to get her harness like the devil is after her. "Danny don't worry it's perfectly safe. She's secured twice and Kono is with her, please let her do this, it is safe. Mary did this the first time when she was six."

Danny is looking up and sees for the first time the lookout at the end of the mast, "How high is that?"

"Fifteen feet. I promise nothing is going to happen, you can hold one of the safety lines if you like. See the Jacob's ladder," Steve is showing him a small kind of rope ladder, "she will be hooked into the safety system and onto the second system that goes all the way up where you can pull her up with or let her down whatever she needs. It was installed for the kids that use the boat, really Danny it's perfectly safe but a real adventure for the kids."

"Okay I trust you and yes, I'd like to hold the safety line."

"Good," Steve is smiling at his friend.

"Uncle Steve I can't close this on the back."

"Gracie you have it on backwards, remember the snap hook needs to be on the back, so that it's not in the way. Come here get out of it and try again, remember the yellow is on the inside."

"Okay Uncle Steve," she is stepping out of the safety harness, puts it in order again on the ground, steps carefully in it and pulls it up and puts the straps over her shoulders. All the while completely concentrated on the task at hand while the grownups watching her.

It takes her a minute to sort it all out but finally she snaps all the fasteners and presents her work to Steve.

"Very good Gracie, now we need to fasten everything a little so that you don't slip out of it. You remember how to do that?"

She's fastening all the straps and Steve is checking it, "Perfect, now your dad is going to hook you up and Kono is helping you on your way up. Listen Gracie, if you get scared halfway up or feel uncomfortable in any way, it's okay to come back down. You don't have to get up there, it's perfectly fine if you change your mind at any point. You understand that?"

"But Uncle Steve I bet you never get scared of anything."

"I get scared just as much as anybody Gracie. It's no shame to be scared. You should never be ashamed to be scared and if you ever be scared of anything you can always tell your dad or me."

"Were you scared to get up there Uncle Steve?"

Steve is looking around and becomes aware that they have a captivated audience, _okay here we go with another revelation of his childhood, the second one today_, "Yes Gracie I was, very much so. I was seven and my dad asked me if I wanted to get up there and I said yes, but I didn't really want to. You see I tended to get sick on a boat and up there the movement is way worse than down here. I didn't want to disappoint my dad so I went up there, but I got really _really_ sick, my dad had to come and get me. Later when I was a little better he told me that I did a stupid thing; to do something I was not ready for, he was not disappointed just a little mad that I was so stupid. No one will be disappointed in you if you say no, but we will be a little mad at you if you do something you don't want to."

"I want to get up there Uncle Steve, I'm not scared maybe just a little."

"A little scared is good, okay then up you go," he's stepping back to let Danny help his daughter up the ladder. Kono is hooking her into the security system and hooks herself in as well.

It's clear from the very first step that Grace is having the time of her life. She is climbing the ladder like a pro and is up in the lookout in no time. Kono is hooking her safety line into the system up there and they are both waving down.

Danny has a big smile on her face, "Thank you Steve. It's so long that I've seen Grace having so much fun."

"I'm just glad we're all here and can enjoy it."

Danny is looking at his friend who's still clearly showing the signs of the fights of the last weeks. The graze on his temple is scrabbed over but looks still painful, his cheek is now sporting a nice bruise and he doesn't even want to think about the horrible bruising on his chest, that bruise could have gone so wrong. He could easily have died from that, just a fraction more force and he would have bruised his heart muscle that would be a complication no one wants. Danny knows that his right ankle is still hurting him, hence the brace he's wearing. So if Steve is saying that he's glad that they are all here, he can more than understand how lucky they really were.

There are still some loose ends, they haven't figured out yet who switched Steve's pills or if it was an honest mistake at the pharmacy. They don't know much about the two 'ninja' who tried to kill Steve this week in the office and they haven't thoroughly looked into Harper Ferris yet. But Danny has every intention to do just that.

One thing is wrapped up though and Danny couldn't be happier about it. Marcus Wheeler was arrested at San Diego International while boarding a flight to Paris. He will be charged with kidnapping, attempted murder on numerous counts. He will also face charges for what he did to Steve. That will not erase the pain Steve suffered through his hands but at least his torturer will pay for it. If it comes to a court martial since he was a former marine, he might even face the death penalty.

"Danny can you give me a hand," Steve is calling to his friend and puts a rope into his hands, "pull!"

"What," but he's doing a he's told and to his amazement a canvas is 'rising' in front of him, "Wow!"

Steve shows him what to do with the rope and how to secure it, "We'll make a sailor out of you Danny."

Instead of a snarky remark he laughs at his friend, "I guess you will."

H50 – H50 – H50

It takes them two hours of leisurely sailing to reach the point where they are going to cast anchor. It's in the shallow waters of a lonely bay.

Grace, who after over an hour finally came back down from her outlook, is sitting next to her dad, "Come on Danno you need to change into your swim trunks."

"What why?"

"Because we're going snorkeling, come on."

"Chin, Kono you need any help," Steve is looking at his two friends who are putting their scuba gear on.

"No we're good. You're staying on the boat?"

"No I'm going in with Grace and Danny, don't want our 'mainlander' to drown."

"Hey hey I think I proved that I can swim," Danny is just coming back up clad in some board shorts with the most heinous aloha-design ever made by mankind on it, "Did you choose these shorts Steven?"

"You don't like them Danno? I think they fit you perfectly," Steve can hardly keep his laughter in check. "If there are any sharks out there and see you, I guarantee you they swim away screaming. It's for your own safety."

"Sharks?"

"That was a joke Danny, there are no hungry big fish here," with that he goes below deck to change into his swim wear as well. So not to shock Grace he's putting a t-shirt on to cover up his bruises on his chest. Takes him a minute to put the special ear-plug in but after that he's ready to go snorkeling with his best friend and Grace.

"Uncle Steve what's the blue stuff in your ear?"

"I can't get any water in it, you remember that I hurt my ear?"

"Is it not better yet?"

"It is Gracie, it doesn't hurt anymore but I'm not allowed to get any water in."

"Is there still a hole in it and is the water getting straight into your brain, Tommy said if you have a hole in your ear your brain pours out of it."

"Grace what did I tell you about Tommy? No Steve's brain will not pour out of his ear," Danny is taking a deep breath, "but if the salt water would get into Steve's ear he would get really sick and we don't want him getting sick, do we? That's why he's having that blue thingy, it closes the ear."

"Oh okay," she seems satisfied with that answer and very thoroughly cleans her diving goggles and her snorkel.

"Cath you sure you don't want to come," Steve is looking at his girlfriend.

"No that's okay, one should stay on board. I'm going to watch you and take pictures and video."

"Okay. Danny you need help?"

"No Steven I can put my fins on just fine."

"Maybe you should put the left one on your left foot, just a suggestion," he's smiling at his friend.

"They are left and right?"

"Yes Danny, they are formed for easier swimming with them. They're for beginners."

"Oh. Thank you. Grace's are different."

"Gracie is not a beginner, she's a 'licensed snorkeler'."

Grace is beaming at her dad by the words of her coach, Steve spent some extra hours with her in the pool to practice with her. And she was getting really good at it, but most importantly had a lot of fun.

"Oh right, monkey I'm really proud of you. Will you put your license on the wall in your room?"

"I thought maybe you could put it on the wall in your office," Grace is almost pleadingly looking at her dad.

"I'd be honored to have it there. It will look great on the wall."

"Thanks Danno."

"You're welcome monkey."

Steve is smiling at the both of them, Grace asked him if it would be okay to put it in the office when she got it and he assured her that it would be very nice of her to let her dad have it.

"So you guys ready for the wonders of Hawaii," Steve is looking at father and daughter. Grace looking like she can't wait and Danny still a little skeptical. "Danny you'll be fine, we even got you one of those snorkels that will close when you put your head under water, so don't worry you shouldn't breathe in any water. Just try to swim and breathe evenly."

"But you stay next to us right?"

"Yes Danny I'll be right next to you both," they all turn when Chin and Kono are ready for their dive. "Have fun you two."

"You too, we'll bring back some fish or maybe even some gold," Chin is telling them with a smile.

"Uncle Steve is there gold down there?"

"You never know Gracie, a lot of ships went down all around the islands."

"Can we dive down to look, I can hold my breath for almost half a minute," Grace is looking at Steve with a look full of excitement.

"Not today Gracie, I'm not allowed to dive because of my ear, but next time we anchor in more shallow water and we can dive to the ground. How's that?" Steve would never allow Grace to dive down even just the ten feet with only her dad at her side. Danny never ever dove or snorkeled in any ocean and two inexperienced 'divers' alone wouldn't be safe, not even in just ten feet deep water, not with a nine year old kid.

"Okay, promise?"

"Yeah I promise and I already know where to go for a dive, I'm sure we will find some old stuff. Okay now off you go into the water, Danny you want to go first?"

They finally all make it into the ocean, except for Cath who stays on the boat watching her friends having fun in the water. She would never have expected Danny to enjoy this trip but so far he seems to have fun. Gracie definitely has fun and her boyfriend is enjoying himself as well. Even though she can see that he's suffering the occasional shot of pain in his chest but that will not stop him from going swimming. She's getting the video camera ready to ban this moment of perfect 'family-life' on film for all time.

Of course they're a very unusual family, not a family in the traditional sense at all, but she learned long ago that 'family' comes in many forms. And she takes the love and ohana-feeling she shares with these people over any traditional family any time. Not that she's knocking her normal family, but what she's having here is very special and she's cherishing it. She loves Steve with all her heart and if he's not able to give her more at the moment than they have, well then she will just wait and see. She knows that he does love her but still struggles with the concept of being loved back, unconditionally, by her or his friends.

But she will do her damnedest to make him see that he's loved by them all and is exactly where he belongs. Among his ohana.

H50 – H50 – H50

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><p><em><strong>AN – Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with the story until the end. Aloha to all of you.**_

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><p><em><strong>Here is a little peek into the new story, hope you will read that as well.<strong>_

**Steve's Party**

**Chapter 01**

„Danny I think this is a really bad idea."

"Kono what are you talking about," Danny is looking up from his paperwork to see his team-mate coming into his office kind of distressed.

"The whole thing with Steve."

"You mean his surprise party? I think it's an excellent idea, that guy spent his last fifteen birthdays on duty in some form or the other and I know that he never had a birthday party since he was fourteen or something like that. Kono don't look so doubtful he will love to see some of his old friends again, they're all more than eager to come," Danny is trying to keep his voice down, he doesn't want his friend to accidentally hear anything about their plans that are in motion for a few weeks now.

"No that's not what I mean Danny. The way we're going about it is totally wrong and quite frankly a little mean. I mean look at him, he looks really sad. He asked all of us over the course of the last week if we want to 'hang out' with him on Friday and all of us came up with an excuse why we can't. He never said anything about his birthday, but I'm sure he is a bit disappointed that none of us has time for him. And a few minutes ago Cath called him as planned to tell him the story that her department on the base will be on lock-down for a drill that was scheduled in the last minute."

"I know this is not exactly going as planned, it just kind of developed into this. I only wanted him not to make any plans, so that he will be here on Friday, I didn't think it would upset him this much. But trust me he will be one happy guy tomorrow. Until then we just need to occupy him, maybe with a nice shootout or something."

"Yeah well he does look like as if he likes to shoot something or preferable someone," they are both looking over to their boss who sits at his desk, head resting on the back of his chair and seemingly spaced out.


End file.
